Kusina ng Pag-asa (KNP), spearheaded by Angat Buhay, supported by ASA Philippines Foundation, and implemented by the Maginhawa Food Community (MFC), continues to strengthen its nationwide network of disaster-ready community kitchens through a series of activation trainings across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The initiative began in General Santos City, where local partner kitchens played a vital role in preparing and serving hot meals following the magnitude 7.8 Mindanao earthquake. Slurp Noodle Bar, BarKo sa Lagao Seafoods Restaurant, Mama Delia’s Catering and Food Service Delivery, JoAnn’s Bakeshop, and Ranchero Group of Restaurants have since been officially welcomed as Kusina ng Pag-asa Partner Kitchens, reinforcing a growing network committed to providing dignified and nutritious meals during emergencies.
“Kusina ng Pag-asa proves that when communities prepare together before disasters happen, we can respond with greater speed, compassion, and dignity. Every partner kitchen strengthens our collective capacity to care for those who need it most,” said Angat Buhay Executive Director Raffy Magno.
Building on this momentum, partner kitchens from the Maginhawa Food Community gathered in Quezon City on July 28 for the Kusina ng Pag-asa Activation Training. A similar activation was held in Cebu on August 1 with seven partner kitchens, with more training in the pipeline for Naga City, Baguio, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro.
The activation training equips restaurant owners and kitchen teams with standardized disaster response protocols through modules on meal planning and resource estimation, food safety, emergency response operations, documentation and reporting, KNP M.E.a.L. or Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, and leadership for community engagement. The program is designed to standardize relief kitchen operations, strengthen coordination, and enable faster, safer, and more efficient disaster response.
“Preparedness saves lives. By investing in local partner kitchens before disasters strike, we are building trusted community responders who can immediately provide safe, nutritious, and dignified meals when families need them most,” said Magno.
The activation training is facilitated by business owners from the Maginhawa Food Community, who also authored the training modules based on their collective experience in restaurant operations, volunteer mobilization, and community-led disaster response.
“For many restaurants, the kitchen is where business happens. Through Kusina ng Pag-asa, it will also become a place of bayanihan. By sharing best practices, standardizing our response, and empowering local businesses to serve, we are building a nationwide network that is always ready to respond,” said Maginhawa Food Community Founder and President Jules Guiang.
The public may support Kusina ng Pag-asa by donating through the QR codes available at participating Partner Kitchens or via donate.angatbuhay.ph/kusinangpagasa.
Restaurants interested in joining the network may volunteer their kitchens through www.angatbuhay.ph/kusina-ng-pag-asa/kitchen.
