In times of crisis, the Filipino spirit of bayanihan shines the brightest. One of the many companies that have extended help to frontliners and communities affected by the ongoing pandemic is Mekeni.
Immediately after the implementation of ECQ in mid-March, the Pampanga-based food and meat processing company heeded the call of local government units and non-government organizations for donations and began pooling all readily available resources to bring aid to communities and individuals who needed it as soon as possible.
“We know that countless Filipinos are affected by the lockdown. Even our own employees are affected because they cannot go to work. But when we announced that we were going to conduct a donation initiative for those affected by COVID-19, everyone was on board. They were willing to put in more hours just to be able to help, which is very heartwarming,” shared Mekeni president Prudencio Garcia.
As of writing, the company has donated to several organizations, local government units, and frontliners all over Luzon. The donations were delivered in batches throughout the whole lockdown period.
The company’s production employees packed the donations, while the delivery was handled by the company drivers. The company’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Team was also tasked to handle some of the community donations on top of their regular work.
“We’re very glad that despite being in a much different situation now, our employees still chose to serve others,” said Garcia.
Having gone through several crises, the local food company has committed itself to help those in need in times of crises and calamities. These include the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991, Typhoon Ondoy that wreaked havoc in several parts of Metro Manila in 2009, the earthquake that struck Pampanga and devastated Porac in April 2019, and the Taal volcano eruption in February wherein Mekeni traveled to Agoncillo, Batangas and prepared hot meals for those who were affected by the eruption.