VIVA ExCon Dasun VCon 2 had a very interesting discussion on the responses of artists when calamity strikes, most especially during the pandemic.
Featured are the national feeding initiative by the Art Relief Mobile Kitchen and local response in the form of waves of assistance from ArtHeals Fundraising.
Alex Baluyut and Precious Leaño of Art Relief Mobile Kitchen, also known as ARMK, is marking seven years of 24/7 monitoring and addressing the hunger needs of people affected by tragedy and calamity.
The operations began during typhoon Yolanda when they decided to brave ground zero and deliver 10 tons of food to Tacloban feed and serve them Christmas dinner. They then proceeded to Hernani, Samar which was the turning point for ARMK. Their community volunteers may be SK members, elders, barangay officials or the LGU, and artist groups. Ninety-eight percent of the donors are private individuals and about 2 percent from corporations.
ARMK has led more than 60 feeding missions and when calamities happen simultaneously, they also operate simultaneous kitchens. They get donations both in cash and kind and missions usually last from 3 days to 1 month, the longest was 3 months.
So far, they have fed communities in Marawi, Iligan City, Davao because of the earthquake, Batangas brought on by the Taal Volcano eruption, the landslide in Benguet and Naga, the flood in Cagayan, as well as calamities in Jolo, Sulu, Los Baños, Laguna, Surigao, Baclaran, Metro Manila, Tiwi, Albay, Tuguegarao, South UPI, Maguindanao and other tribal ommunities, among others.
ARMK wants to jumpstart the economy, so they buy locally and they promote camaraderie as people are encouraged to help.
On the other hand, Charlie Co, Roderick Tijing, Barry Cervantes of ArtHeals shared that they began at the onset of the pandemic when the team felt the need to respond before lockdown ensued. ArtsHeals is an initiative that champions art as an agent of consciousness to and for the community.
Wave 1 was Local Artists Support where ArtHeals Fundraising with the Orange Project Team gave 40 grocery packs with one month’s supply to local artists who really needed the resources when the city was about to close the borders for COVID-19 lockdown.
WAVE 2 was Face Shield Project for Frontliners where artists started creating face shields for frontliners that were delivered to outposts, along with snacks sponsored by artist friends, to different locations guarding the city borders.
WAVE 3 was PPE Project in collaboration with NVC Foundation where the team created an online fundraising to support the people who needed help during the lockdown. Artists donated 50%, 60%, and some donated 100% of their proceeds to this cause. This donation was in turn given to the NVC Foundation and they produced a total of 500 PPEs for the local hospitals around Bacolod.
WAVE 4 was Food Pack Distribution to Remote Areas since not everyone was supported by the local government in a time when the lockdowns were implemented so ArtHeals Fundraising decided to ask for a permit to distribute food packs that can support families for days. A total of 150-200 food packs were given to families around the Patag, Silay area.
Finally, WAVE 5 was Pawssion Project because when the pandemic struck, people left the cities bare. Street dogs and cats were left with nothing to eat every day. PAWS is an organization that helps strays get through each day. ArtHeals Fundraising collaborated with them by buying sacks of dog and cat food for these stray cats and dogs.
The impact of the initiative was to create a consciousness of being part of the solution rather than the problem.
They were glimmers of inspiration towards volunteerism as they helped answer needs and address human struggles in times of difficulty. The discussion concluded with the promise of collaboration between ARMK and ArtHeals to also set up a kitchen in Negros. (Additional information from Vincent Rose Sarnate)