FOOD manufacturer Century Pacific Group Inc. celebrated the 12th year anniversary of its flagship feeding program “Kain Po” by aspiring to increase the number of those covered by the program to the equivalent of 10 million servings.

The food firm will also team up with partners like Gawad Kalinga (GK), and both are set to launch a nationwide campaign against hunger in July.

In 2010, Century Pacific founder Ricardo Po Sr. started as the cornerstone program of the company’s RSPO Foundation. It began as a disaster response initiative, with the company partnering with several orphanages to promote healthy eating habits among the youth. Afterwards, the program was expanded to other far-flung locations.

“When my father started the program, his goal was to help curb hunger in these vulnerable communities, and as we progressed, the benefits of proper nutrition became more apparent,” Christopher Po, executive chairman of Century Pacific, said.

“Schools gave feedback that the children became more active and performed better, both mentally and physically. Absenteeism decreased because families were incentivized to send their children to school, where they were being served nutritious food,” he added.

During 2020, a partnership between Kain Po and GK was forged and in the year after, the program reached a record of 8 million protein servings in one year.

“We still have a long way to go. This year, we are looking to increase the number of servings in the years to come. New and improved programs with GK are underway, and we hope the developments will inspire more companies to rally behind this cause. We hope to continue my father’s legacy, do more good, and help more people,” Po added.