Volunteers set up community pantries for students, homeless, instill environmental awareness

From the original Community Pantry that aimed to give away free food, the idea has been used by some groups and individuals to also serve the homeless, the students and even to raise environmental awareness.

Lyra Royo used a jeepney that roams around the streets of Metro Manila to distribute relief goods to the homeless.

"I think about the homeless. And instead of letting them go to community pantries, I will be the one who will bring them to the pantry because they are not given much attention. They are also hesitant to go to community pantries," Royo said in Filipino over an interview in Katrina Son's report on "State of the Nation."

In Cebu City, a group started a "Students' Pantry" which distributes notebooks, bond papers and other educational materials.

Meanwhile, a community pantry called "PanTree" was installed in Ilagan City, Isabela set up by a group of young people and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

It is through this unique pantry that the group gives away seedlings and fruit-bearing trees to help residents and preservation of the environment.

According to data from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), more than 6,700 community pantries have been organized in different parts of the country.