Ayala Foundation teams up with Ricky Reyes for Kain na Juan!
10/15/2009 | Ayala Foundation
On October 12, twenty-seven Ayala Foundation employee volunteers made the trip to Barangay Nangka, Marikina, with well-known celebrity hairstylist, Ricky Reyes.
Ricky Reyes, perhaps most well known for his line of salons and his work in the beauty industry, has established the Ricky Reyes Foundation, with programs that cater to disadvantaged and underserved communities.
Focused on philanthropic activities, Ricky Reyes through his foundation, supports cancer patients in Child House and at the Philippine General Hospital, and in cooperation with friends and partners also helps communities to build their skills in productive livelihood activities, such as through his long-running program, Isang Gunting, Isang Suklay.
Kain na Juan, a mobile soup kitchen, was a response to the thousands of families in need of food after the floods brought by tropical storm Ondoy. The project began on October 1, 2009, and has been conducting daily food service operations to barangays that are either underserved, or have not been reached at all by other relief operations. Ayala Foundation contributed P50,000 to the project, as well as volunteers to help serve the meals.
Bypassing the regular evacuation and relief centers, Ricky Reyes and the AFI employee-volunteers instead held their soup kitchen on a sidewalk Brgy. Nangka, Marikina. Two tables were set up to hold the food that was cooked that morning, and the volunteers began giving out meals to the people who lined up to be served. An estimated 3600 individuals were fed that morning.
Despite the heat of the day, and the fatigue of serving thousands of people, the Ayala Foudnation volunteers still found many reasons to smile and enjoy the event. Many found the experience of working alongside Ricky Reyes very memorable, as he pushed and challenged them to work quickly and keep up with the demand. Perhaps Rose Navera, one of the volunteers, sums it up best for everyone in her words, "Giving food to the flood victims personally was a great experience. Their appreciation washed away my tiredness that day."
Thank you, Ricky Reyes and the Ayala Foundation volunteers!
Visit http://www.ayalafoundation.org for more information.
