A jolly day with ‘Busog, Lusog, Talino’ kids

MANILA, Philippines - Consistent with the company’s thrust of promoting the welfare of Filipino children, Jollibee employees from its Metro North stores recently hosted a feeding activity for 40 Grade 1 and Grade 2 students of Pinaglabanan Elementary School in San Juan City. 

Pinaglabanan Elementary School is one of the schools enrolled under the Busog, Lusog Talino (BLT), the in-school feeding program of the Jollibee Group Foundation, which is strongly supported by Jollibee Foods Corporation’s flagship brand, Jollibee. 

Under the BLT program, children are provided with nutritious lunch meals every day for eight months. The program also encourages the participation of the students’ parents so that they can further inculcate the value of eating healthy in their children.  School principal Dr. Lydia Abeja proudly shared that since the BLT program started last July in their school, 65 percent of their students have now attained their normal Body Mass Index (BMI).

During the special Jollibee feeding activity that was also graced by Jollibee Philippines president Jose Miñana Jr., the students under the BLT program were fed with a nutritious lunch consisting of rice and vegetables that were especially prepared for them by their parents as well as the visiting Jollibee team. 

 â€œWe believe that this gathering is symbolic of the spirit of family and fun that both Jollibee and the Jollibee Group Foundation — through the BLT School Feeding Program — espouse in the communities that we operate in. Through our employees’ further involvement in the BLT program, we are affirming our commitment to work together in improving the lives of our school children, one meal at a time,” said Jollibee regional business unit head of Metro North Jojo Subido.

“I feel privileged to be able to participate in this kind of activity,” shared Jollibee employee volunteer Robert Ragaas. “It not only strengthens our teamwork and relationship with fellow Jollibee employees, it also enriches our personal experiences as responsible citizens.”

Aside from the Metro North group, Jollibee’s  other regional business units across the country have adopted Busog Lusog Talino as one of their primary corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by sponsoring schools in their respective districts.

Jollibee customers may also help in this worthy cause by donating through the BLT coin banks found in all of the fast-food chain’s 780 stores nationwide. For only P11 a day, a child in school is provided with a hot and nutritious meal.

“Nutrition plays an important role in our children’s educational achievement. Although there are many factors that affect a child’s academic performance, addressing the issue of hunger is important to keep students in school and help them better focus on their studies and absorb the lessons,” explained Jollibee Group Foundation’s executive director Gisela Tiongson.

Since 2007, BLT has fed over 60,000 pupils in 198 cities and municipalities around the country.