Life is so vague. However, I believe that it is very simple - in a way that it is all about how we can acquire LOVE, PEACE, and PURPOSE. As my mother often says, "life is short". We wouldn't know the time. It may be 1 week later, tomorrow or today. That is why time is so important and we should try in the littlest way to CARE, ACT, and SHARE what we have to others, tangible or intangible.

Please allow me to share with you our yearly outreach project.

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Year 2016

This started way back in 2016 when I and my classmates thought of how we will celebrate our Christmas party. We used to celebrate ours from the past years through gathering and making delicious foods to eat together. But this time, why not feed children? Thinking that we were blessed and that we were able to celebrate Christmas with delicious foods and gifts, it was the right decision that we should share the blessings with the unfortunate ones. Even with simple actions, someone's life may change. ❤️

Since we were still in our 4th year in college, we still cannot accommodate a huge number of children. One step at a time, right? So we decided to feed 100 kids with spaghetti and sliced bread. From 2016 to January of 2020, we have fed 500 children from the slummiest areas of Danao City. Organized some games and gave them some sweets. Their smiles were our vitamins.

_{These pictures were taken from 2016 to 2020.}

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It was December 2020 when we started to give relief goods because the covid-19 struck. We cannot afford on organizing and gathering children due to the fear of the virus. So we gave 50 households 1kg rice, a noodle, and canned goods. It was just last year, 2021, we were able to gather a greater sum of donations that leveled up the families that we helped.

We planned a month. So we decided to organize the outreach program on December 19, 2021. Our goal was to provide 100 families of sitio Pag-asa (“hope” in English), Canamucan, Compostela, Cebu with these relief goods.

2kgs of Rice (equivalent to 100 pesos or $2)
2 pieces of canned goods (equivalent to 30 pesos or $0.6)
2 pieces noodles (equivalent to 15 pesos or $0.3)
1 piece milk (equivalent to 8 pesos or $0.16)
1 pack/10 pieces face mask (equivalent to 15 pesos or $0.3)

Therefore, our budget per family was 170 pesos ($ 3.4). So, each one of us (college classmates, former instructors, and professors) donated at least 500-1000 pesos ($10-20). Gladly, we were able to accumulate 17,500 ($350). I know, this may be just a small amount of goods but for the families, these will be so big enough.

_{sitio Pag-asa "Hope", Canamucan, Compostela, Cebu, Philippines}

Everything was planned very well until super-typhoon Odette, December 16, 2021. It was a blackout after the typhoon and we lost all communication with our group chat. I had no idea if some of my classmates can join.

_{Damages captured around our compound due to super-typhoon Odette}

But despite all the doubts and second thoughts, the outreach continued because it was the perfect time to help those in need, especially those who were affected by the typhoon. Surprisingly, 6 of my classmates made it (thank God!) and we started packing at around 11:00 am. With the help of the Maning family (one of my classmate's family who lived in Canamucan, Compostela), we were able to finish the packing at around 5:00 pm. It was 5:10 pm when we started to distribute the relief goods.

Since we informed the barangay and gave coupons a week ahead, the distribution was so easy. The residents just lined up and waited for each other's turn to receive their goods. Their patience and understanding made it more meaningful because they waited for us until we arrived in the area.

One of the residents said, "Kamo rajud ang nakahuna-huna ug hatag namo diri. Salamat kaayo." - "You were the only ones who thought of giving us. Thank you very much."

I cannot help but imagine the face when she said to us that line. It was very satisfying, fulfilling, and gratifying! All the effort and time of packing the relief goods were paid off! and I realized that Sitio Pag-asa stood her name as the "hope" and gave us the message that life is not always about ourselves. It is also about how we can lift other people.

We are looking forward to helping more children and families in the future. With all the blessings that we receive in a year, why not share a little bit of that with other people, right? If we were able to do it, I know you can also!
This simple practice makes our hearts full. ❣️

_{KUDOS to my classmates! Thank you 🤘}

See you in my next blog!

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