Today, "Don Bosco Calauan" sits amid densely populated communities teeming with young people from relocated families among the poorest and most disenfranchised. When the government moved them to Calauan, in fact, these families left their source of income in Manila, and many remain extremely poor. Gradually, people are engaging in informal activities or trades to earn a living; however, many children are malnourished and families still struggle to survive due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Moved by the plight of the people since their arrival, the Salesians launched livelihood programs in 2010. And for over 3 years, despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, the Don Bosco feeding program has been ongoing and still active. Fr Ferdinand Camilo is among the 25 volunteers who serve daily as cooks and helpers in food preparation. Br. Ronnel Tiu, SDB, accompanies the distribution of meals in three areas surrounding the relocation sites. Currently, a list of 3,500 children and adults receive daily rice porridge for breakfast and then rice with a side dish for lunch. A total of 7,000 meals are prepared daily. Every 6 months the recipient list is updated, and each recipient is evaluated to see who still needs to be part of the feeding program. Some names are removed and new ones are added.

Fr Jeffrey Mangubat, Rector, regularly keeps benefactors such as "Rise Against Hunger" (Philippines), some foundations, and individual donors who wish to remain anonymous updated. This allows the Salesian community to help those who are truly poor.

Calauan represents a commitment by the Northern Philippines Province (FIN) to be with the poor in the peripheries. The Salesians live a simple life. They are very close to the poor, and the poor feel very close to the Salesian community, absorbing the typical Salesian spirit.

Ensuring that 7,000 meals a day are available to poor and underprivileged families is indeed a challenging task. But the Lord continually reminds the Salesians that when you work for the poorest and neediest, He Himself continues to perform miracles even today.

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