Leading digital solutions platform Globe has brought in international food rescue organization Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) Philippines Food Rescue as its latest partner for the Hapag Movement, a unified hunger alleviation program.
Globe is taking various approaches to address involuntary hunger in the country through the Hapag Movement. Aside from supplemental feeding efforts and livelihood training and assistance, the company is now looking at reducing food waste and showing the value of food through SOS PH.
“Globe aims to create an even bigger impact by discouraging food waste among consumers and businesses. This partnership with SOS PH will help us achieve our targets for the Hapag Movement and support our sustainability objectives. We believe that we can make a difference by bringing together people and organizations in pursuit of a common goal to create a #GlobeOfGood,” said Apple Evangelista, Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility at the Globe Group.
Recently launched in the Philippines, SOS aims to help reduce hunger by utilizing safe and edible food surplus and redistributing them to those in need.
While millions of Filipinos are suffering from involuntary hunger, 1,717 metric tons of food is wasted each day in the country, according to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology.
“We have seen how much perfectly good excess food from commercial entities ends up in the landfill, emitting methane gasses. We want to address this issue and at the same time help put food on the table of hungry families. Being part of the Hapag Movement allows us to forward this cause in the Philippines,” said James Leyson, Managing Director of SOS Philippines.
While SOS PH is still new to the Philippine market, Globe commits to support and enable the organization to operate and cater to as many people as possible.
SOS PH collects safe and edible food from restaurants, canteens, and other food service companies to save them from going to waste. The rescued food is brought to community kitchens to convert into meals delivered to vulnerable communities and individuals.
Starting in Thailand and Indonesia in 2016 and 2017, respectively, the food organization has already rescued and served an equivalent of around 25 million meals, or about 5.5 million kilograms worth of food surplus. This, in turn, diverted 13.9 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions from landfills.
As the newest mobilization partner of the Hapag Movement program, SOS PH is set to engage beneficiary communities in a different way – providing families in need with good quality meals, with an estimate of P50 per meal–in line with the Globe program’s format. Currently, the organization is serving communities in Manila, Makati and Rizal under its operations.
Donations raised through the various program platforms such GCash, the GlobeOne app, and credit card channels will be used by SOS PH to continue and scale its operations. (PR)
