Food rescue non-profit rescues surplus ingredients to provide meals for communities in need

Mac Florendo's time studying in the United States led to his encounter with a group that went around establishments to rescue surplus food for underserved communities.

This gave him the idea to start his own food rescue non-profit organization in the Philippines, which he did in 2015 with just a humble bicycle and basket.

In the "Game Changer" segment of "24 Oras" on Monday, Martin Javier featured Florendo's story and how his initiative has grown throughout the years.

"Bakit parang walang gumagawa sa Pilipinas?" said Florendo of food rescue. "Pag-uwi ko ng Pilipinas, ito na ang pasalubong ko, itong idea na 'to, so I started my own volunteer group."

["Why did it seem like nobody was doing this in the Philippines? When I got home, this was what I brought with me, this idea, so I started my own volunteer group."]

His initiative, Food Rescue Philippines, prides itself as the country's first-ever food rescue group.

According to him, food rescue foundation Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) discovered his initiative and invited him to join SOS to widen its reach. SOS was founded by Bo Holmgreen in Thailand, first expanding to Indonesia then the Philippines.

SOS Philippines, which Florendo manages as full-time food rescue supervisor, today runs on the goodwill of a sizable group of volunteers who help in transforming surplus food into meals for communities in need.

It currently has three trucks that roam the Greater Manila area to collect ingredients that would otherwise go to waste from various establishments. The rescued food is brought to the rescue kitchen, where volunteers cook hot meals that they then pack and distribute to underserved communities.

Chef Jessie de Lara, who owns his own establishment, has been volunteering with SOS Philippines since last year and led the whipping up of the day's menu: spaghetti with hotdogs and chicken teriyaki.

"Napakasarap po ng feeling 'pag ikaw ay nagvo-volunteer,"  one volunteer, Gloria Antuferia, said. "Hindi mapapantayan ng kahit ano."

["It feels the most amazing when you volunteer, it's a feeling that can't be matched."]

—Cody Cepeda/MGP, GMA Integrated News