Food Distribution continues in Davao

On August 4, through the partnership of generous benefactors the parish of Saint Matrona in Davao City continued distributing food to the poorest families of Barangay 9-A, the city precinct in which the parish is located. Each food parcel contains 5kg of rice, canned food and noodles. The charitable assistance was distributed to the next 200 families living below the poverty line in the so-called “slums” of the city. Even in normal times, these people are suffering from a lack of food, but now, during the quarantine, the situation has grown worse many times over.

Before distributing the food, the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), sprinkled the goods with the holy water, read a prayer for the subsidence of the devastating and deadly pestilence, and then addressed the audience with an edifying word, noting that the Orthodox Church preserves the faith from the apostles to this day, and one of the foundations of this faith is love for one’s neighbor. As God pours out blessings on all, so we must follow Him and help all those in need, regardless of race, nationality or religion.

Davao City has been under quarantine for 6 months. Many people have not had the opportunity to work during this whole time and have no means of subsistence. Saint Matrona parish is one of the organizations that has been providing local assistance since the pandemic lockdown began in March.