Local Food Companies Join Forces To Provide Noche Buena To Hungry Filipino Families

Noche Buena plays a crucial role in the Filipino celebration of Christmas Eve. It’s a time where the family shares a feast before attending the Misa de Gallo or midnight Mass and remembering the birth of Jesus.

Unfortunately, this year took a tragic turn. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent typhoons, providing for the family has become difficult and everyone has been in survival mode, struggling to make ends meet.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll last September showed that 7.6 million families in the country experienced involuntary hunger.

To bring holiday cheer to Filipino families’ tables on Christmas, Unilever Philippines, Century Pacific Food Inc., Dole, RFM Corp. and Lazada partnered with Rise Against Hunger Philippines to launch “Brand Aid: Noche Buena para sa Lahat.”

The campaign is the first collaboration among local food companies, an e-commerce platform, and an international relief organization to provide Noche Buena kits to at least 100,000 families.

This private-sector initiative supports the Pilipinas Kontra Gutom movement under Task Force Zero Hunger, which includes government agencies, private corporations, the academic sector, non-profit organizations and the general public.

“Amid this difficult period, we are one with our colleagues in the food industry to spark hope. In the spirit of malasakit, we share this opportunity with individuals and organizations who also wish to extend their generosity and donate Noche Buena kits while in the safety of their own homes,” said Unilever Philippines chairman and CEO Benjie Yap.

According to Dole Philippines GM Banjo Castillo, the name and concept “Brand Aid” came from the industry partners who took their time and efforts to support the initiative. It was also inspired by the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert where musicians showcased their talents to help raise relief funds for the Ethiopian famine.

“The initiative started with a quick Zoom call (with Unilever Philippines, Century Pacific Food Inc. and RFM Corp.) on what we can do to help our kababayans who are struggling,” Castillo added. “During that chat, it was all agreed that there’s not a better time to start helping others than Christmas and Noche Buena, an event that Filipino families look forward to. It’s also a time where most of our products are used to make the favorite Noche Buena dishes. From there, Brand Aid was born.”

“As we address the most pressing need of providing food during these trying times, we also need to have a systemic and sustainable solution that engages our food producers, lawmakers, business owners, and the general public,” said Task Force for Zero Hunger chairman and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.

Through Brand Aid, individuals and business owners can sponsor less fortunate families with a Noche Buena kit worth P300. The campaign will run from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8.

The kits are available for donation at the Rise Against Hunger Philippines Foundation at https://pages.lazada.com.ph/wow/camp/lazada/channel/ph/brand-aid/main.