MANILA, PHILIPPINES — When the country first went into lockdown back in March 2020 to contain the spread of Covid-19, many people’s livelihoods were affected: From the frontliners who needed more resources than ever to the workers who lost their source of income, Filipinos around the country were in dire need of a helping hand. And when McDonald’s Philippines saw that, it didn’t wait to respond.
Not even a couple of weeks into lockdown, Ronald Mcdonald House Charities (RMHC) Philippines launched the McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen. Through this program, the McDonald’s restaurants that were closed down for quarantine were converted into kitchens that prepared free meals for health workers, other frontliners, LGU workers, volunteers, and communities in need.
Now, two years after the initial launch of the program, McDonald’s Kindness Kitchens has not stopped serving meals and bringing smiles to those who need it. What started as a quarantine initiative back in March 2020 with the initial goal of providing 50,000 free meals is now a 365-day program that has, since then, provided hundreds of thousands of meals to Filipinos everywhere.
“During the pandemic in 2020, we utilized an asset of stores that were closed due to the lockdown: the kitchen! We cooked and served safe, hot meals to frontliners and communities who did not have access to food during this time. The meals were prepared by volunteer crew and managers and delivered through our partners from both the private and public sectors,” shared McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director Margot Torres. “We continue this kindness for 365 days this year. Kindness Kitchen Every Day is serving meals to different communities in need across the country.”
Through Kindness Kitchen, McDonald’s started a movement of solidarity and service that eventually went beyond lockdown — a movement that it is not slowing down anytime soon.
For more information on the Kindness Kitchen program, visit the RMHC website.
