Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao has joined forces with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell to raise funds for the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) fight against hunger in the Philippines.
The face of Pacquiao, the Philippines’ first and only eight-time multi-division world professional boxing champion, is now featured in postcards in addition to the Deliver Hope cups that have gone on sale in 174 Pizza Hut and Taco Bell branches across the country. As part of the Deliver Hope campaign, now on its eighth year, funds raised by the sales of these items, along with donations made in-store, will go to WFP’s school feeding programme in conflict-affected areas of Central Mindanao.
“I chose to join Deliver Hope 2015 because I would like to help our countrymen in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao who have little to eat,” said Pacquiao. “I am both a Mindanaoan and a father, and I find it sad that children there go to school every day with almost nothing in their stomachs. With the help of the World Food Programme, they become excited to go to school, because they have more energy to take part in class when their stomachs are full,” he added.
The postcard featuring Pacquiao costs P40.00, while the limited-edition Deliver Hope cup costs P50.00. Customers can also donate to the campaign in-store until Jan. 15, 2016.
Through the school feeding program, WFP targets 65,000 school children from conflict-affected communities in Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao every school year. WFP provides the children with hot and nutritious meals, which consist of rice, mung beans and vegetable oil during regular school days on-site. A meal for one child costs only P10.00.
“We at Pizza Hut and Taco Bell are very pleased to work with the World Food Programme through the Deliver Hope campaign, by raising awareness about food and nutrition security among our customers and employees,” said TH Lim, chief operating officer for Pizza Hut and Taco Bell Philippines.
Lim added, “The participation of Manny Pacquiao as campaign ambassador adds a special dimension to our Deliver Hope initiative this time around, because we have a true athlete and statesman coming from Mindanao to help us reach our goal of removing hunger in the Philippines. We hope that the more people are getting involved in this project, the more we can inspire other Filipinos to become responsible in our community.”
“With eight years of strong and strategic partnership with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, we have ensured that nutritious meals are provided to undernourished children in Central Mindanao, particularly in areas disrupted by conflict,” said WFP Philippines Representative and Country Director Praveen Agrawal.
“School meals are essential in reaching the Sustainable Development (SD) Goal of zero hunger, and at the same time it also addresses the SD Goal of quality education,” added Agrawal. “We would like to commend and thank Pizza Hut and Taco Bell for their generosity and look forward to our continued partnership.”
Since 2008, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, as part of the global Yum! Brands, have helped raise Php26.9 million for WFP’s school feeding programme in the Philippines. Deliver Hope is part of the 2015 World Hunger Relief Programme, the world’s largest private-sector hunger relief initiative spanning more than 125 countries and territories, with over 41,000 Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants and 1.5 million employees.