There is a charity program that I was just recently made aware of called the Restaurants Against Hunger campaign. It’s actually a very easy way for us diners to help in the fight against child malnutrition.
All we need to do is to dine at participating restaurants, choose the featured dishes from their menu marked as “dishes that feed more”, and a portion of the profits go to projects combating child malnutrition in the Philippines.
This is the third year of Restaurants Against Hunger. It is part of the initiative of the global humanitarian organization, Action Against Hunger.
“In 2016, Action Against Hunger and the Institut de Relations Internationales et Strategiques (IRIS), an international think tank that focuses on geopolitical and strategic issues, released a study entitled “Socio-economy of Chronic Malnutrition in the Philippines: A preliminary key trends analysis by 2030” to support strategic action in fighting malnutrition in the Philippines. According to the study, the Philippines ranked 9th among countries with the highest number of stunted children,” revealed Action Against Hunger Country Director, Guy Halsey. “It’s imperative that we take steps to stop the upward trajectory of malnutrition in the country. Restaurants Against Hunger is a start and everybody can participate. We can all channel our passion for food into life-saving impact against hunger and child malnutrition,” he added.
The most recent was their response to the Marawi conflict where a total of 206,613 individuals benefitted from the nutrition screening and distribution of emergency food aid and hygiene kits. The organization also provided access to safe water and sanitation facilities in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte. Through their Water, Sanitation and Hygiene projects in the areas of Masbate, North Cotabato and Maguindanao they have provided rural barangays access to clean water, created tap stands and toilets, and conducted hygiene promotion sessions to fight the spread of diseases that will lead to malnutrition.
How does Restaurants Against Hunger work?
The mechanics of the campaign is simple: Restaurants choose 1 or more special dishes from their menu and for every order of these dishes from October 1 to December 1, 2018, a portion of the profit goes to Restaurants Against Hunger projects combating hunger and malnutrition in the Philippines. These dishes are labelled “Dishes That Feed More.” The donation per dish is dependent on the restaurant.
All donations raised during the campaign in the Philippines will only be used for projects in the Philippines.
What restaurants are participating in Restaurants Against Hunger 2018?
So far, participants this year are:
- Alba Restaurante Español
- Aracama
- Azuthai
- Café Mediterranean
- Calderon
- Chef Laudico OK Café
- Chelsea Kitchen
- Chotto Matte / Izakaya Sensu
- Corner Tree Café
- Cyma
- Friends & Family / Coconut Club
- Green Pastures
- Grilla
- Ikomai
- Ilustrado
- Kabila
- Museum Café
- Providore
- Saboten
- Sangkap
- Simple Lang
- Sobremesa
- Terraz Bistro & Meetings
- Terry’s Bistro
- The Old Spaghetti House
- The Shrimp Shack
- Wild Ginger, and
- The Bistro Group
“We hope to sign up more before the program kicks off on October 1,” said Action Against Hunger Fundraising and Resource Development Manager Dale Nelson Divinagracia.
How can diners support Restaurants Against Hunger?
Diners can be a part of the movement to help provide food to the most disadvantaged children and their families in the country by patronizing the participating restaurants and ordering the featured dish/es which we call “dishes that feed more”. Look for menu items highlighted with a sticker that says “dishes that feed more” or ask your servers.
How can restaurants join Restaurants Against Hunger?
All they have to do is go to www.restaurantsagainsthungerphilippines.org, click “register” and sign up. This program is very easy to implement, it doesn’t entail much cost, and it unites the restaurant staff and customers for a life-saving cause. Restaurants Against Hunger will support the restaurants by providing all marketing materials needed for the campaign: posters, table-tops, “dishes that feed more” stickers for the menu and information notes for staff.
Who else is supporting Restaurants Against Hunger?
Restaurants Against Hunger is co-presented by McCormick Culinary. Sponsors are Foodpanda, Marca Leon, and Mida Food. Supporting the campaign are the LTB Chefs Association Philippines and The Spanish Chamber of Commerce. Collaborators are Acceler8, Digital Out-of-Home Philippines, Nyxsys Philippines, Pitchworks Incorporated, and Summit Outdoor Media.
Where can they get more details about Restaurants Against Hunger?
Website: www.restaurantsagainsthungerphilippines.org
Facebook: @RestaurantsAgainstHungerPH and @ActionAgainstHungerPH
Instagram: @RestaurantsAgainstHungerPH
Twitter: @EndHungerPH
Hashtag: #restaurantsagainsthungerPH
This is probably the easiest way for us to help combat malnutrition in the Philippines — all we need to do is to choose the featured dishes when we eat at our favorite restaurants, and a portion of the profits go to Restaurants Against Hunger projects 🙂
