'Plate for a Cause' sends Smokey Mountain kids to school

MANILA, Philippines - For the 10th year, Communications company Campaigns & Grey is sending less-fortunate children from Manila's Smokey Mountain to school through its annual project 'Plate for a Cause.'

"The yearly Plate for a Cause affair sees participation of the employees at Campaigns & Grey whipping up their best home-cooked dishes and bringing them to the office. The employees get the opportunity to partake a sumptuous buffet spread at P350 per plate or an 'all-you-can-eat' deal for P750," the company said.

Last school year, the project sent 32 scholars to school. Nine scholars graduated from high school, four enrolled in college while one is already a public school teacher who returns to Smokey Mountain to teach current scholars.

For this school year, Plate for a Cause aims to raise about P113,000 to support 34 scholars.

"A forgotten part of sprawling and bustling Manila, Smokey Mountain is a poverty-stricken area that is home to tens of thousands of people who scavenged for their livelihood, picking through rubbish at Smokey Mountain.  Such daily struggle often results to education being an impossible luxury to attain for the children who live here, who more often than not are also asked to work and forsake school in order to help their families," the company said.

Cherry Gutierrez, managing director of Campaigns & Grey and Campaigns Social Response said employees on the company also volunteer their personal time to take the scholars to yearly trips to the National Museum, Children's Museum and national parks.

“Plate for a Cause is just one of the many avenues that we will continuously explore in order to give back to community in whatever way we can. I hope that our past efforts over the years are able to help our underprivileged brothers and sisters, and we are looking forward to more undertakings to help increase the literacy rate in Smokey Mountain,” Group Chairperson Yoly Ong said.