MASBATE CITY (PIA) – Over a thousand children across nine municipalities in Masbate will get free hot meals every day for six months under a feeding program forged between the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and a local cooperative.
Under the “Tutok Kainan” (TK) program, the Baleno Christian Masagana Multipurpose Cooperative will provide chicken, vegetables and other goods and commodities to the municipal and city governments that will directly administer the feeding program while the NNC will shoulder the cost of the commodities.
At least 1,150 children in the municipalities of Aroroy, Baleno, Cawayan, Mandaon, Milagros, Mobo, Uson, Placer, and the city of Masbate will benefit from the program.
Officials of the National Nutrition Council sign the agreement on “Tutok Kainan” feeding program with the Baleno Christian Masagana Multipurpose Cooperative. The agreement provides the legal basis for engaging the cooperative to provide chicken, vegetables and other goods and commodities to the municipal and city governments that will directly administer the feeding program. (Photo by Cooperative Development Authority)
Cooperative Development Authority Regional Director Emilio Escueta III and National Nutrition Council Regional Director Arlene Reario (center) seal their newly formed collaboration with a photo. (Photo by CDA)
This partnership will address the shortage of goods and commodities needed in the implementation of the “Tutok Kainan” feeding program, said Arlene R. Reario, NNC regional head for Bicol.
The feeding will target 6- to 23-month-old malnourished children who will be fed hot, nutritious meals for 180 days. Pregnant women will also be given meals for 90 days.
The Cooperative Development Authority, which brokered the partnership, hailed the program as a “big boost” to farmers’ cooperatives in Masbate.
“Due to the large volume of goods and commodities needed to continuously supply the dietary supplements, the Baleno Christian Multipurpose Cooperative will tap other micro cooperatives in nearby areas to meet the demand,” said Masbate provincial cooperative development specialist Yvonne D. Gulosino.
Gulosino said this “pioneering” collaboration between the cooperative and NNC “will open new opportunities” to the cooperatives in Masbate.
“Participating in increasing the production of vegetables and chicken to sustain the TK may pave the way for the improvement of the socio-economic condition of cooperative members,” she added. (PIA Masbate)
