The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) continues to be at the forefront in providing hope to the most vulnerable as PRC’s Cebu Chapter sent out food packs to visually impaired individuals whose livelihoods were affected by the pandemic.
“Regardless of the current challenges that we are facing, the Red Cross will always be there. We stand to provide hope for the most vulnerable whom we serve without discrimination,” said PRC Chairman and CEO Senator Richard J. Gordon.
According to PRC Cebu Chapter Administrator Vera de Jesus, Rosendo Lacaba, who is a blind masseur, asked Gordon for help. Lacaba has been in touch with Gordon for support since the early onset of the pandemic.
“Lacaba called for help. In no time, the PRC Cebu Chapter provided food packs containing rice, sardines, luncheon meat, baked beans, Vienna sausage, and chicken liver,” de Jesus said.
All in all, de Jesus said that PRC gave food packs to 14 visually impaired individuals, 15 day workers and “no work, no pay” barber, driver, salon worker, and laundrywomen.
Lacaba thanked Gordon and the PRC for heeding their call.
This week, PRC Cebu Chapter will also be rolling out its food trucks to provide hot meals for health workers at Vicente Sotto Medical Center; and in Poblacion Guadalupe in Cebu.
Ready-to-eat meals
The PRC has also been providing ready-to-eat hot meals to Covid-19 affected individuals through the deployment of PRC’s food truck in different parts of Cebu City.
Through the directive of Gordon, PRC Cebu Chapter has conducted food assistance to Safehaven facility, feeding 85 individuals composed of rescued/abused children, street dwellers, and other most vulnerable sectors in Cebu.
The PRC food truck in Cebu is now bound to Vicente Sotto Medical Center to provide food assistance to 600 medical health-care workers working in the Red Zone.
The beneficiaries of the food assistance are front liners in the intensive care unit wards that cater to Covid-positive patients.
PRC Cebu Chapter recently deployed 12 medical tents to support the operations of the different hospitals and act as an extension ward to treat and accommodate mild to moderate cases.
“Our win against Covid-19 is far from over,” Gordon said adding that the PRC is always in full force anywhere in the country to fight the pandemic.