The Freeman Foundation caroling and gift giving

CEBU - “There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.”

Indeed, this saying by Bernard Meltzer was proven true by The FREEMAN Foundation core group volunteers who were touched by the way how the residents of the mountain barangay of Calidngan, Carcar City appreciated the simple gifts they have given them.

The core group volunteers led by The FREEMAN general manager Melandro “Bhoy” Mendoza yesterday braved the drizzles and intricate paths leading to the houses just to able to distribute the packs of goods composed of rice, noodles and canned goods to the recipients who are mostly old, sick and impoverished.

Fr. Ver Pedrano, parish priest of San Isidro Labrador, was the one who identified the recipients and guided the volunteers to their houses that are scattered in different areas of the barangay.

Most of those who received the gifts were moved to tears because aside from being able to have food on Christmas, they also felt being loved and appreciated by people they don’t even know.

“Wa gyud ko’y ikahatag ninyo (I have nothing to give you),” said an 84-year-old recipient as he tries to search for a coin from his pocket while the core group members sing a Yuletide carol for him and his daughter.

But what Tatay did not expect was instead of him giving the “carolers” the coins, the latter handed over to him a pack of goods. He could not help but cry as he thanked the core group members for the gift.

Tatay, who could hardly even stand and walk on his own, lives in an old shanty with his daughter, who is also in her 50s.

Also one of the recipients is the family of a 42-year-old mentally challenged man who house is located atop a hill located in sitio Inayagan, barangay Balungag, which is already part of San Fernando town.

The core group’s last stop was a hut owned by a couple, who are in their late 70s, living by themselves because their three children have already families of their own.

Fr. Ver said that in his first four years as parish priest of barangay Calidngan, it had become his tradition to distribute rice and other goods to his parishioners during the holiday season.

However, he said that this year has been hard that he was no longer able to continue what he had started. “In the past four years, I have been giving gifts to my parishioners. This year, I fell short on my budget but I told them to keep their faith kay di gyud ta ma-zero (we will not receive nothing).”

True enough, Fr. Ver said it was a blessing when he came across The FREEMAN Foundation, which had requested him to officiate the Mass during the group’s “Balik Eskwela Project” at Tangub Elementary School in Pinamungajan last July.

The success of the Balik Eskwela Project has inspired him to try to request if the foundation could choose the children in his parish to be the beneficiaries of its “Christmas with Angels” project this year.

And last Sunday, 100 children from barangays Calidngan, Kandingan, Tupas, Valencia, Sto. Rosario, Liburon and Buenavista were treated to a Christmas party at the Cebu Parklane International Hotel in Cebu City for the fourth year of the project. 

“Blessing kaayo mo namo (You are a blessing to us),” Fr. Ver said, adding he could never thank The FREEMAN Foundation enough for the myriads of Christmas gifts that his parishioners received from the group this year. — (The writer is a TF Foundation core group volunteer)   (THE FREEMAN)