Community pantry founder Patreng Non helping sell 'gulay bouquets' for Valentine's Day
MANILA, Philippines — Ana Patricia "Patreng" Non, founder of the Maginhawa Street Community Pantry, has started a new initiative this Valentine's Day for the benefit of local farmers.
Patreng and her fellow organizers of the Community Pantry effort are selling "gulay bouquets," which contain vegetables instead of flowers.
"Deserve natin lahat ng healthy na pagmamahal! Abot kaya! Masustansya! Makulay! Sweet!" Patreng said of the gulay bouquets which weigh around five kilograms each.
One gulay bouquet costs P1,500 (with an additional for shipping within Metro Manila), and all proceeds will go to the vegetable rescue operations of farmers.
"Plano po natin ituloy ang 'pag connect ng farmers natin directly sa ating consumers na walang takot mabulukan ng gulay, malugi, o mabarat ng traders," said Patreng.
"Naniniwala po kami na hindi lang dapat yung mga gulay ang dumadating sa atin dapat yung kwento din nila. Tsaka dapat lahat tayo maayos 'yung pagkain ng pamilya."
The latest update from Patreng is that white onions provided by farmers from San Jose, Nueva Ecija will be included in some of the gulay bouquets.
The price of onions have increased immsenesly in the last few weeks, at one point a kilogram of onions wass more expensive than that of a whole chicken or beef rump; last December 2022, the price of onions soared to a record-high P720 per kilo.
The Community Pantry was among the people-driven efforts organized during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic where Filipinos could help in providing goods to their countrymen; what began with one stall in Maginhawa grew to hundreds nationwide.
RELATED: 'Mauubos ang ating indulhensiya!': Padre Salvi faints at 2023 onion prices
