DSWD eyes Walang Gutom Kitchens in Bicol, Leyte, Samar, BARMM

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is planning to scale up its "Walang Gutom Kitchen" food bank initiative to more areas across the country.

At a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday, DSWD Undersecretary Edu Punay said the agency is planning to set up more food bank sites in areas where poverty incidence is high.

"We've identified the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), where there's the highest incidence of hunger and malnutrition, food poverty," Punay said.

"We're also looking at some provinces in the Visayas like Leyte and Samar and also in Luzon, [particularly] the Bicol Region," he said.

"So these are the sites we are eyeing for the expansion of Walang Gutom Kitchen," he added.

In December last year, the DSWD launched the Walang Gutom Kitchen, the national government's food bank, at the Nasdake Building, FB Harrison in Pasay City.

The Walang Gutom Program is a partnership between the government and the private sector, aimed at addressing involuntary hunger and helping minimize food wastage in the country.

Establishments, such as restaurants and hotels, may donate their excess food to the bank, while donations from private individuals will also be accepted.

Social Weather Stations (SWS) recently reported that Filipinos who experienced involuntary hunger rose to 22.9% in September 2024.

However, OCTA Research reported a few days later that self-rated hunger decreased to 11%, or about 2.9 million Filipinos, in the third quarter of last year. — VDV, GMA Integrated News