American firm gives aid to poor children

Some 1,500 malnourished children in three barangays in Parañaque City are expected to benefit from the $50,000 grant from a US food and beverage company.

Kraft Foods Philippines Inc. yesterday formally turned over the $50,000 donation to Helen Keller International that was tapped by the company to help residents with problems on food and nutrition.

Tod Gimbel, Kraft Foods director for Corporate and Government Affairs-Asia-Pacific, said the grant is part of "Kraft Cares" charity program worldwide.

"We selected Helen Keller International among several groups that submitted proposals including their areas of concentration and who are the ones benefiting from these. It is a very professionally-run group and its Philippine chapter is really doing good. We heard very good things about them and our panel of experts that looked into the details on how the group is run and what are their programs, are very impressed with what they do," Gimbel said in an interview.

Gimbel said "they will be pro-actively working with Helen Keller, to try to make a good change in people, children in particular, because they are the most subjected to problems of malnutrition and hunger. That is the reason why we are working with groups like Helen Keller International.