LOOK: Binalot Gives Free Food to COVID-19 Frontliners (and you can too!)

Here’s how you can help feed front-liners

Related Story: Want to give support to frontliners fighting COVID-19? Here’s how

Many of our front-liners have been doing their best against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic— from treating patients in the hospital to delivering food and keeping groceries open for people to get their essentials. Not only do they deserve our praise and thanks, but they too deserve a reward for their efforts.

True to the Filipino spirit of bayanihan, Filipino fast-food chain Binalot has been hard at work since the enhanced community quarantine was implemented in Luzon. According to Binalot’s Operations Manager Judee Morente, the free meal packages have been sent off to the front-liners who have been busy during the COVID-19 outbreak. And they will continue to send more to hospitals and medical facilities in Metro Manila. “For these modern-day heroes, Binalot can do no less,” she explains.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Part of Binalot Fiesta Food‘s corporate social responsibility includes not only feeding the hungry but also helping marginalized communities in times of crisis. For instance, they’ve adopted a community in Nagcarlan, Laguna to supply banana leaves for their products in an advocacy called the Dahon program. They’ve also trained them to produce salted eggs, which is a current staple used in Binalot.

Binalot has also been hard at work even before. Ever since super Typhoon Ondoy hit the country in September 2009, Binalot has been supplying ready-to-eat meals to families from distressed areas. Even during the many monsoon floods that followed soon after, Binalot was ready with a helping hand.

Helping the Front-liners

Now that ready-to-eat meals are once again needed, Binalot is here to help the front-liners this time around, especially doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners. Morente adds that in emergency situations like this, Binalot made special ready-to-eat meal packages that are portable, easy to handle, and convenient for deliveries. Not only are they ideal for relief operations, but they’re environmentally-friendly too with its biodegradable banana leaf packaging. These are cleaner and easy to dispose of after.

Out of their 34 branches, Binalot currently has 5 strategic outlets that are open for service. These branches include those in Mall of Asia (Pasay), McKinley in BGC (Taguig), Hanston Ortigas (Pasig), RCBC (Makati), and in Amaia at Sun Valley (Paranaque). They’ve maintained a skeletal workforce that makes hundreds of Binalot meals daily to be sent out to hospitals.

Morente adds that “We make sure our personnel practice proper hygiene, wear protective gear such as masks and gloves and practice social distancing. Our primary concern is the safety and health of both our customers and our staff.”

How You Can Help

Binalot has partnered with many kind-hearted institutions and individuals who sponsor food packages for front-liners. The restaurant prepares the meals, packs them, and distributes the ready-to-eat meals to hospitals in Metro Manila, which the sponsor chooses. Currently, organizations and individuals that have donated include the Lucio Tan group, PMFTC, Auto88, Senate President Tito Sotto and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis doesn’t look like it will end any time soon. That’s why Binalot is still on the lookout for generous sponsors to help. You can help too by donating to this cause by contributing money, and Binalot will do the work for you. To donate, please call Vida Malapajo at 09328761352.

Binalot Fiesta

Facebook: Binalot

Instagram: @binalotfiesta

---

Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad!