Reinventing ‘True Relief’ with The Care Package

When disaster strikes, two problems immediately surface: hunger and malnutrition.

Earlier this year, the Philippines has been cited as the third most disaster-stricken nation in the world. With a staggering 28 million Filipinos suffering malnutrition and chronic micronutrient deficiency, the country now finds itself in one of its lowest times due to the spoils of calamity and hunger.

Private groups and non-government organization have been working hand-in-hand with local government units to do everything they can to help out as many disaster victims as possible. Unfortunately, despite having billions of disaster aid supplements, a total of Php 141.1 million worth of disaster-relief food packs went to waste in 2015 due to constant problems that plague distribution, like spoiled or expired goods and food items that are hard to transport and consume.

As we all know, the common go-to relief donation for communities contains rice, noodles, and coffee. These are good but simply do not carry the nutritional value and easy preparation needed during times of need and rapidly worsening starvation. Hence, all these problems create misfortunes that could have been avoided with a better option at hand.

With 4 million underweight Filipino children and 8 million chronically energy deficient adolescents, adults, and elderly, it seems like the road to true recuperation remains nothing but a pipedream.

A more efficient disaster-response solution

With all these challenges converging at such a very critical moment, Pilmico Foods Corp. is now introducing The Care Package (TCP)—a smarter and sustainable food supply alternative that addresses hunger and nutrition, particularly in times of disasters.

The launch of this innovative product will be happening this September as Pilmico takes part in the upcoming Visayas Area Business Conference (VABC) in Ormoc, Leyte—one of the provinces hit hardest by Typhoon Yolanda back in November 2013.

The Care Package contains Pilmico’s High Energy Biscuits (HEB), tasty vanilla biscuits packed with 450 kilocalories of energy, equal to one full meal. Containing proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins A, B1 to B12, C, D3, and E, iodine, iron, magnesium, and calcium, TCP includes every important aspect of a healthy meal, or more importantly, an emergency food provision.

Goods distributed to communities in need have to be ready for consumption. A lot of calamity victims have been unable to use the provisions given to them because these required heating, cooking, and refrigerating. Due to long stretches without access to power or any form of cookware, numerous packs of donated food perish and go to waste. This is why TCP contains Pilmico HEB that are ready-to-eat as is and arecontained in a package that prevents moisture build-up.

“As we are in the business of sustenance, we’d like to offer local businesses and individuals how they can ‘show they care’ by helping alleviate millions of Filipinos from the constant and unrelieved problems of hunger, malnutrition, and disaster,” says Maribeth Marasigan, Pilmico First Vice President and Chief Resource Officer.

Just one pack can effectively nourish an ailing individual, especially during times when viable food is scarce. Sealed compactly in a small and light container, each pack can be stacked and transported quickly from one place to another.

Battling malnutrition with appropriate ‘care’

The plight of Filipinos does not end when the rains stop and the floods dissipate. As they attempt to rebuild their homes and their lives, the frequent occurrence of disaster still affects their recovery.

In many poor communities, food is still a problem even in relatively “peaceful” times. There is either a lack of it or a lack of nutritional value in available resources for these areas. Hence, the Philippines has been reported to have an all-time high chronic malnutrition rate of 40%.

TCP thus becomes a perfect tool that can give less privileged communities a fighting chance to get better more efficiently and effectively. With a 12-month shelf life, private or public organizations can store TCP in bulk so that their adopted communities will not only have a reliable source of nourishment throughout the year but also have a safety supply if ever disasters strike.

With the advent of continuous tragedies and misfortunes hitting our nation and affecting our people, NGOs, LGUs, and other organizations continue to look for better ways to help out those in need. At last, there is now a viable solution—and it’s in one simple package.

“Health and nutrition are often put in the backburner when emergency strikes, but simply sharing the right gift can make all the difference,” Marasigan shares. “We believe in making a real change in the journey of recovery and aid for Filipinos. That’s why we are offering TCP as the answer to hunger, malnutrition, and hopelessness all in one package.”