Where Are The Community Pantries Now?

A few months ago, the word “community pantry” has become a household term, everybody seems to be talking about it, and some even set up their community pantries.

The initiative of setting up a community pantry was seen as a testimony to the desire of every Filipino to collectively help those in need, a concrete expression of the Filipino values of “Bayanihan” and "Kawang Gawa."

Community pantries sprouted all over the Philippines, and social media are filled with numerous posts about community pantries.

From the humble to the great started to set up their community pantries, and they also dutifully showed pictures of these in their FB accounts to inspire others.

Just like any other Filipino endeavor, it also became the subject of “memes,” particularly that incident when a group of women came to “raid” a community pantry wiping it clean of its stocks.

A cursory look at the “community pantry” that we have seen sprouting all over the country is just an “updated version” of what we have been doing whenever we are giving relief goods or charities.

The uniqueness I think is that most of the community pantries that came out during the previous months gave out vegetables, eggs, dried fish (some even gave out fresh) and other products that people can readily cook.

In other words, the community pantries that recently sprouted are another form of “food relief distribution,” although presented with new branding.

I came across an article that described the genuinely innovative idea of a community pantry.

The idea is that members of the community who are in need will go to the “community pantry” to “get” what they need, but they will also “give” whatever they have in surplus.

Even if one's contribution is measly, it would be something significant for those who might need it.

This community pantry follows a “get and give” or “give and take” dynamics among the recipients. I think this dynamic is an authentic expression of “kumuha ayon sa pangangailangan, magbigay ayon sa kakayahan.”

As of date, I have noticed that the frenzy of community pantries has slowly died out while a few are still valiantly sustaining their community pantries.

For how long will this trend continue?

That remains to be seen given that we Filipinos are known for our “ningas kugon.” I am wondering how many of these community pantries will stay longer.

There are some proponents of community pantries who honestly admitted that this initiative is not sustainable. It can even be considered a “band-aid” solution for a problem that deserves a more decisive intervention.

In the end, Filipinos are always creative. Calling our “relief services” or “charitable giving” with new names certainly evokes a new enthusiasm. Despite our cultural idiosyncrasies like “ningas kugon” and “bandwagon mentality,” as they would say, “at least we helped, than not helped at all.”