Faith in Action: Serving God Through the Hungry

One of my most memorable experiences in social development work was my direct involvement in Assisi’s Hapag-Asa feeding program. While I enjoyed finance, HR, and administrative work—particularly development finance—the fulfillment of serving undernourished children was different. Knowing that, in some small way, I made a difference in their lives gave me an extraordinary spiritual high, as it allowed me to follow Jesus’ command to feed the hungry.

My journey with Assisi began in 2004 when Ambassador Howard Dee engaged me to assist Fr. Anton in restructuring Caritas Manila following the creation of six suffragan dioceses from the Archdiocese of Manila. Soon after, I was tasked with helping organize the newly established Pondo ng Pinoy Community Foundation, where Ambassador Dee served as Vice-Chair alongside Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales as Chair.

In 2005, Hapag-Asa was conceived and proposed by Ambassador Dee to Pondo ng Pinoy, which adopted it as its flagship program, allocating substantial food subsidies to its member dioceses. Since then, Pondo ng Pinoy has dedicated its largest budget to this initiative. To support fundraising efforts, Assisi launched the FAST2FEED campaign every Ash Wednesday—an appeal for "crumbs" that has raised as much as ₱8 million annually.

Initially, the program used Vitameal, a rice-and-lentil mix, as its primary food supplement. It later transitioned to MannaPack, a rice-and-soya blend, when Feed My Starving Children and Risen Saviour Missions began donating fortified meals. Over time, Hapag-Asa evolved to include parental involvement, early childhood education, and the Self-Help Approach (SHA) to sustain feeding gains. While SHA was phased out after three years, many partners continued implementing it as a livelihood and poverty reduction strategy.

I have personally witnessed Assisi’s exemplary efforts in building and maintaining partnerships. Because of its integrity and unwavering commitment to empowering marginalized Filipinos, the Foundation and its people have earned the respect, gratitude, and trust of dioceses, schools, local government units, NGOs, and national government agencies.

Officially joining Assisi in 2005, I became part of a family that embodies faith, love, equity, and justice. Through Hapag-Asa and other Assisi initiatives, both professionally and personally, my life has been deeply enriched. I am profoundly grateful to God and my Assisi family for the opportunity to serve—not only Him but also the 1.5 million children whose lives we have touched, hoping we have helped brighten their future.