St. Joseph's Bazaar in Ayala

Food treats, fun and surprises await Ayala Center Cebu shoppers this Saturday, November 15, as St. Joseph’s Bazaar opens in time for the 14th anniversary celebration of the mall.

St. Joseph’s Bazaar is a fundraising event organized by the volunteers of the St. Joseph Foundation, composed of 40 society women in Cebu whose husbands are based in the city.

Initially St. Joseph Foundation started from these women’s advocacy to help indigent families. It later on evolved into an accredited non-government organization in 1999. The foundation aims to make their beneficiaries self-reliant and independent of their support from both financial and emotional. The members are aware that money alone is not going to help their beneficiaries achieve this so their first step is educating them. This is why they set up livelihood projects such as the St. Joseph Crochet which teaches the less fortunate that livelihood can help them in their economic problems.

St. Joseph Foundation also initiated the “Home for the Homeless” project and they currently have already built 48 homes in Liloan.

“We usually raise funds yearly to help our beneficiaries. The number of people needing help increases so our beneficiaries increase, as well, and last year we had new ones,” shared foundation president Amelia La O.

St. Joseph Foundation’s list of beneficiaries include the Kalinangan Youth Foundation, Inc., Hospitaller Sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacred Heart School of the Society of Jesus Inc. for the Sacred Heart Boys Vocational Unit, Banilad Center for Professional Development, Little Bamboo Foundation, Siervas del Plan de Dios, Sister Evelyn Flanagan for Bajao Children, and the Ermita Feeding Program.

Mrs. La O said that in the past, the foundation used to organize concerts for a cause and they invited renowned artists such as Pilita Corales (last 2004) and Jose Mari Chan (in 2006) to perform here in Cebu.

She said that in their previous concerts, the foundation was able to generate P170, 000 funding but since organizing concert events entails so much time and preparations, this year, they won’t be having a concert but just a bake sale.

“We will sell baked goodies and specialty cookies that shoppers will not normally find in the supermarkets or bakeshops here in Cebu. Our members will be serving and selling their different specialties,” said Mrs. La O.

St. Joseph’s Bazaar will be a one day event in the Ayala Center Cebu’s Paseo Ciudad but Mrs. La O said that they usually finish early because their goods are easily sold-out.

“This event is strictly for charity and this is the first time we officially partnered with Ayala but since we started with the bazaar, we have always held it in Ayala,” she said.

This Saturday, she said, shoppers can also participate in their raffles for just P25 per ticket and they will have the chance to win prizes such as jewelry donated by Amparito Lhuillier, one of their members.