50 participants from the Department of Education – Koronadal City Division, 45 schools from Koronadal City, Mahintana Foundation, Inc. and partner-organizations Dole Philippines, Inc. and Tibud sa Katibawasan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TSKMPC) celebrated the Virtual Culmination activity on July 28, 2021 via Zoom of the 60-day school-based feeding program (SBFP), successfully implemented through Mahintana’s Nutripan project benefitting 7,788 school-age children funded by DepEd National.
Mr. Danilo C. Abanil, DepEd School Governance Operations Division (SGOD), opened the event emphasizing the importance of partnerships with private organizations and CSOs to efficiently and effectively implement the SBFP while adopting the “new normal”. Ms. Margie S. Managuit, Mahintana Nutripan Project Manager, presented accomplishments of the SBFP. Dr. Gertrudes Dajay, DepEd Medical Officer III, acknowledged 45 school heads and health coordinators for their significant effort in distributing the Nutripan breads and Tibud fruit juices to beneficiaries.
Messages of support were given by Ms. Liza D. Hora, Mahintana Executive Director, Ms. Julieta Burgos, Dolefil HR Director, and Mr. Crispin Soliven, CESE III, DepEd’s Schools Division Superintendent (SDS). The SBFP was implemented in partnership with 3 of Mahintana-established Nutripan bakeries: Polomolok, Surallah, and Koronadal National Comprehensive High School, an adopted school-bakery, Silway-8 Elementary School, and the local cooperative TSKMPC supplying calamansi juice and other variants (with passion fruit, orange, pineapple, or guyabano). Through the SBFP, 7,788 beneficiaries of 45 schools received Nutripan vegetable/fruit-filled breads and fruit juices, 28,949 cans of Dole pineapple products as Vitamin C supplementation. Mahintana assisted 16 Nutripan bakery staff and 37 IPs and women of a local cooperative by increasing their income by at least P10,000/month. Nutripan generated net savings for 4 assisted bakeshops and assisted Silway-8 Elementary School in the renovation of their moringga production facility.
In time for the foundation’s anniversary, a new Nutripan Bakery will be opening at the Mahintana Business Resource Center, Dahlia St., Poblacion, Polomolok, South Cotabato this coming August 12, 2021.
