Since April 2023, we have delivered monthly food packages to elderly people in Dumaguete City who had no one else to turn to. These are their stories.
I used to go to sleep hungry. Now I know that every month, someone remembers me.
Lola Nena lives alone in a small bamboo house on the outskirts of Dumaguete City. Her children moved to Manila years ago and can barely support themselves. When our team first visited, she had only a handful of dried fish and a cup of rice left. She is now one of our longest-standing beneficiaries.
Lola Nena
Age 82 · Dumaguete City
I was ashamed to ask for help. But they came to me — no forms, no questions. Just kindness.
A former fisherman, Lolo Carding can no longer work due to failing eyesight. He was referred to us by a local social worker who found him carrying water from a communal tap half a kilometre from his home. He now receives his monthly rice delivery with a smile that our volunteers say makes every trip worthwhile.
Lolo Carding
Age 78 · Dumaguete City
God sent these people to me. I pray for them every day.
Lola Caring raised six children on her own after her husband passed away. Now elderly herself, her children are scattered and struggling. She was found by our local partners during a community outreach walk. The monthly rice bag means she can stretch her small pension to cover medicine.
Lola Caring
Age 75 · Dumaguete City
I thought I was forgotten. This rice tells me I am not.
Lolo Ben spent decades as a carpenter. An injury left him unable to work, and with no government pension, he relied on neighbours for scraps of food. Our team found him during a neighbourhood visit and he has been a beneficiary ever since. He insists on sitting upright to receive his delivery — a point of pride he has never let go.
Lolo Ben
Age 84 · Dumaguete City
