Feeding Hearts

The sweltering heat was biting our napes as we walked the narrow path to Barangay Tipolo’s Daycare Center. This was the first among San Miguel Brewery Inc.’s (SMB) employee volunteer program stops for the summer feeding project.

The employees through the Employee Management Council (EMC) and the Labor Management Council (LMC) shared some foodstuff with the children in the center as part of their outreach project. The feeding was an intermission effort to supplement San Miguel Brewery Inc.’s regular feeding program with Tipolo Elementary School.

The Malusog na Katawan, Matalas na Isipan program of SMB with the support of the San Miguel Foundation, annually reaches at least 50 primary graders who are noted to be malnourished. The children are weighed prior to the start of the program. They are then fed in school with nutritious food everyday. 

Food was prepared by the teachers with the help of the parents. Through this program, the teachers also showed the parents how to prepare nourishing meals emphasizing on the fact that good nutrition need not be expensive. The children were weighed regularly to check on their progress and after six months of healthy diet, the malnourished child is expected to gain back his or her normal weight.

In this particular trudge, though with the SMB-EMC/LMC the objective was simply to spend some time with the children and feed them, getting to know the neighbors better and have fun with the kids. 

It was exhilarating albeit the challenging warmth of the sun to see all the children, neatly dressed and smelling freshly bathed. We had to recall some of our outdated rhymes and children’s stories so we could share some with the tiny curious faces that stared at us. A five-year old pupil entertained us with her long welcome remarks. That left us in awe at how she memorized all the words. I fell in love with a young boy, Lance, as he cuddled close to me to recite the prayer.

Mrs. Edna Macaalay, the Daycare Center teacher proudly called on each of her students to encourage them to show their talents. Ma’am Edna genuinely showed her love for the children in her care. She shared that she has been a Daycare Center teacher for several years and that each year has rewarded her with more love from the children and the parents she has been in contact with. It was obvious from Ma’am Edna’s stories that she enjoyed her job even if the pay was not that high. For her, even if a salary is important, the smile of the children and the joy that she gains from feeling needed and of service is far more gratifying.

There are many people like Ma’am Edna and many employees like Monching, Edward, James, Vicoy and Dandy who go beyond work to share more than what is expected of them. People who feed their hearts with what is good and share the same virtue with others. People who know the business after business is the real business.