Quezon City, Jollibee renew ties for feeding program

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government has renewed its partnership with Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) for the continued implementation of a feeding program at an elementary school in Payatas.

Mayor Joy Belmonte on Tuesday led the signing of a memorandum of understanding with officials of the JGF, MEALenium Project and Quezon City Schools Division Office for the Busog, Lusog, Talino (BLT) Kitchen project at the Lupang Pangako Elementary School.

“The JGF, through the BLT Kitchen program, aims to support the Department of Education (DepEd)’s school-based feeding project and to provide standards on menu, food production, safety and cleanliness with the help of local government units,” Belmonte said.

“I am proud to say that we are the first city in Metro Manila to support this program,” she added.

Aside from the development of the BLT Kitchen, the program adopts a project model that seeks to efficiently use the DepEd’s budget for the feeding program.

It also taps parent-volunteers who would help in preparing the meals for the children.

Belmonte first supported the project in 2016 when she was vice mayor. 

At the time, her office released over P348,000 to fund the installation of gas lines and monthly allowances for parent volunteers. 

“We are happy to continue this feeding program alongside our partners that have supported this endeavor from the very beginning,”Belmonte said. “Through this program, we would be able to focus on the health of the students by providing them nutritious food prepared in the BLT Kitchen.”

The project will benefit some 1,116 undernourished students from the Payatas elementary school.