Century Pacific expands feeding program to Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - The Century Pacific Group-RSP Foundation Inc. (CPG-RSP) is set to expand its flagship feeding program, KAIN Po, to Mindanao.

KAIN Po will focus first on Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, home to the indigenous T’bolis, Tirurays, Ubos and Manobos. In 2007, Lake Sebu ranked second in having the highest cases of malnutrition among children in the region.

An agreement with the Department of Education’s provincial division has been signed to feed and nourish the most malnourished children in six identified public schools in the province, with an aim to improve their health and well-being.

They will also be beneficiaries of the group’s Lunchbox project, which gives each child utensils and containers of his own.

CPG-RSP is the corporate social responsibility arm of Century Pacific Food, Inc (CNPF), the Philippines’ largest canned food manufacturer. It is named after Ricardo S. Po Sr., the company’s founder and Chairman Emeritus.

KAIN Po aims to alleviate hunger, with the intention of nourishing not only the children’s bodies, but their minds as well.

The foundation has already surpassed its target to serve a total of 10 million free meals to various beneficiaries.

To date, more than 13.9 million meals have been distributed since KAIN Po started in 2010. For 2015 alone, over three million meals were served, mostly to public school students.

According to the nutritional data during school year 2014-2015, KAIN Po has helped reduce the presence of severely wasted students in its partner schools in Luzon and Visayas/Mindanao by nine percent and 15 percent, respectively. Due to the improved health conditions of the children, enrollment rates have increased, dropout rates have decreased, and absenteeism were also reduced by 80-90 percent in the partner schools.