STAR goes trick-or-treating for Unicef

MANILA, Philippines - With the help of children of employees and friends, The Philippine STAR helped turn Halloween into a fun but meaningful activity for kids as it culminated its Trick or Treat for UNICEF Superheroes project in donation rites held at The STAR office yesterday.

Close to 100 “superhero kids” of The Philippine STAR raised trick-or-treat donations amounting to P53,158.90, which STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte turned over to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) representatives yesterday.

“UNICEF knows that children have a great capacity to help others and we are overwhelmed by the energy and generosity of the children and parents of The Philippine STAR. All their efforts will make a huge difference by helping children stay in school in the most disadvantaged areas of the Philippines,” Angela Travis of UNICEF Philippines said.

For his part, Belmonte said The STAR partnered with UNICEF for this project because the company believes in supporting worthwhile programs, especially those that benefit children. Operation Damayan, The STAR’s social arm which Belmonte heads, also runs a year-round program that extends medical assistance to children in need.

“We are proud to be a partner of UNICEF for this project, which for the first time is being brought to the Philippines as the pilot area for the rest of Southeast Asia. We believe that the campaign is an excellent way to make children become more socially aware, and as a partner, we are committed to provide our support to ensure its success,” he said.

The Trick or Treat for UNICEF Superheroes campaign, which started as a local event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, introduces children to the idea of helping other children in need by collecting donations as they go about the traditional “trick or treat” asking for candies and treats in their neighborhoods for Halloween.

The program typically involves the distribution of small orange collection boxes by schools to trick-or-treaters. These boxes are used to solicit small change donations from the houses they visit.

Since its birth in 1950, the Trick or Treat for UNICEF campaign has spread to Canada, France, Mexico, Ireland, Haiti, Iceland, Japan, Spain and Hong Kong, with millions of children participating in the program and helping raise over $167 million in funds.

UNICEF uses the collected donations to provide children in need worldwide with crucial therapeutic food, water and sanitation, medicine, immunization and education.

As a way of thanking them for helping raise funds and caring for other kids, The STAR treated the ‘superhero kids’ to a day of fun and entertainment. Afterwards, they feasted on food from McDonald’s and received goodie bags with products from Nestlé, Faber Castell, Monde Nissin, Oishi, Columbia Foods, Alaska, Rebisco, Goldilocks and Gardenia.