Our Work
The purpose of the Foundation's activities and support are to ensure at-risk children living in poverty have the tools they need for success, and food to alleviate hunger and ensure proper childhood development.
Recent Programs
School Supplies Assistance Program - 2024
Children of very low-income families in two parishes located in Marikina City, Philippines were identified for the School Supplies Assistance Program for the 2024-2025 school year. Due to their financial condition, many of these identified children were not able to attend school in previous years because they didn’t have the tools to learn. Studies have shown that lack of sufficient educational resources can also affect the students’ attitude and performance. On the other hand, being prepared keeps children motivated and excited. Studies show that children having school supplies of their own can improve grades, creativity, attitudes towards learning, behavior, peer relationships and self-image.
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To alleviate this problem, the Foundation purchased and pre-assembled grade-appropriate backpacks, school supplies, and school shoes, which were to be provided to the children of Holy Family Parish and San Isidro Labrador Parish. Working with volunteers from these two parishes, the backpacks were assembled (filled with supplies and shoes), and distributed to 257 Holy Family children in Grades 1 – 10 on Friday, July 12, 2024 and to 251 San Isidro Labrador children in Grades 1 – 10 on Sunday, July 14, 2024.
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Maria Concepcion Sandi and Marilyn Sandi Manuel are members of the Branch of the Foundation in the Philippines, and liaisons to Holy Family Parish and San Isidro Labrador Parish, respectively.
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A third parish located in Marikina City, Philippines, Our Lady of Guadalupe, will be a part of the School Supplies Assistance Program for the 2025-2026 school year.
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Feeding Program Sponsorship - 2024
San Isidro Labrador and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes in Marikina City, Philippines feed children of very low-income families in their respective community. The families are food insecure and as a result, these children go hungry and don’t receive adequate nutritious food to develop properly, leading to health issues and at times, death.
These two parishes have insufficient internal funds to feed the children. Therefore, feeding of these children happens typically only once per month, and only if an outside sponsor is found.
The Foundation started sponsoring the feeding of up to 80 children once each month within the boundaries of San Isidro Labrador Parish and up to 170 children within the boundaries of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. As part of the feeding program, the volunteers give basic catechism to the children before each meal.
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"Catechism, we believe, is a valuable tool by which we may communicate the truths of the Word of God to the children, our future generation. It does not only teach basic Christian doctrine, but also shows how to live according to God's law and how to pray. That is why our main goal now is to catechize the children in every feeding activity so that they may learn the "basic" truths of Christian faith and living as they build a relationship with Jesus Christ." - San Isidro Labrador
Past Programs
School Supplies Assistance Program - School Years 2021 - 2023
Weekend Food Program - School Year 2021 - 2022
Through the Weekend Food Program in 2021 - 2022, the Foundation researched, purchased, sorted, bagged, and delivered food for 24 children at risk of going hungry over the weekend in grades kindergarten through eight at St. Linus Elementary School in Norwalk, California. This program provided food every weekend during the academic school year. Food programs such as this have been shown to decrease absenteeism, behavioral trips to the principal’s office, and trips to the school nurse for hunger-related ailments. All of these factors lead to more instructional time in the classroom for students, which lead to better academic outcomes for children living in poverty. The Foundation provided 4,392 melas to these children during the Fall semester of 2021 and the Spring semester of 2022.
