The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Saturday announced the plan to scale up the food bank program “Walang Gutom Kitchen” in the provinces this year.

DSWD Undersecretary Edu Punay said they will prioritize areas with high poverty incidence, namely the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Leyte, Samar, and the Bicol region.

“We’re planning this year upon instruction of Secretary Rex Gatchalian. We’re scaling up in the provincial areas naman that will be identified and targeted,” Punay said on a news forum.

Last December, the DSWD launched the first Walang Gutom Kitchen food bank in Pasay City that primarily served families and individuals in street situations (FISS) and others experiencing involuntary hunger.

The program also partners with the private sector and invites businesses to join the campaign against hunger and food wastage by donating their food through the food bank. |PND