Uswag Kitchen, one of the city government’s initiatives during the COVID outbreak, was able to produce a total of 92,749 meals for front-liners from March 20 to May 15. The local government was able to sustain its operations with the help of donors in the metropolis.
“It’s a wrap. Uswag Kitchen Patrol is proud to have produced a total of 92,749 meals to all our front liners from March 20 – May 15, 2020. Thank you to all the sponsors who trusted our efforts. Without your help we could not imagine how we made through. Thank you also to Mayor Jerry Treñas for this initiative and Ma’am Raisa Treñas for believing in my team to manage the donations,” states Gab Umadhay of the Office of the LGBT Affairs, in a Facebook post by the Iloilo City Government.
A team from the Office of the LGBT Affairs delivered the meals to frontliners.
These included two hospitals Western Visayas Medical Center and West Visayas State University Medical Center; three quarantine facilities, six checkpoints, port checkpoints, and Emergency Operations Center. The meals were also served to a total of 800 policemen, 350 personnel of Public Safety and Transportation Management Office, 265 health workers and misting crew, 100 soldiers, 70 social workers, 30 volunteers, 25 firemen, 22 coast guards, 20 market cleaners, 15 drivers, 15 social media team members, 10 City Hall security guards, and five engineering staff.
Umadhay thanks the city’s First Lady in taking the lead in the initiative.
“These are not possible if we were not led by a great woman, Ma’am Rosalie Treñas. She is an epitome of hard work; mother to all, food planner, quality assurance officer, cook, marketer, payroll officer, life adviser, and the best of all — she is our first lady. We have seen her exhausted each day but she never fails to motivate us each morning to do more for the Ilonggos. And to celebrate vivacity amidst crisis because living every day is a gift,” Umadhay continues.
He also thanked the individuals behind the daily operations.
“We would also like to recognize the efforts of our kitchen staff for tirelessly preparing our meals every day with no rest. Back pains, sweatshirts, burnt hands, sore legs, and stress were common in the kitchen because we need to meet a time deadline of serving more than a thousand — but you never gave up! Behind every sumptuous meal was the hard labor of our kitchen staffs that is why we are always proud to deliver food. It was made with genuine love. To everyone who trusted us — I cannot thank you enough for sharing your time and efforts. We may have ended our kitchen patrol but we assure you that our service to our community is not yet done. We are just beginning. A new chapter awaits for my team and we will always be ready to serve our community,” Umadhay concludes.
