The Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company (Metrobank), through its Branch Banking Sector (BBS), stepped up its employee volunteerism program, as it partnered with its corporate social responsibility arm, Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI), in organizing a series of feeding activities to benefit underprivileged individuals in the City of Manila.
Bannered under its social response program ‘Helping Hands,’ more than 200 employees from different Metrobank branches in Metro Manila volunteered to reach out to close to 3,500 individuals, mostly street dwellers, through the distribution of hot meals as well as loot bags containing grocery items, toiletries, candies, and biscuits.
The activities were made possible through a partnership agreement with Caritas Manila, Inc. in support of the implementation of their Damayan Feeding Program. For four Saturdays – April 15, 19, and May 20, 27, Metrobankers extended time and effort to serve the needy.
Serving as distribution venues were: Our Lady of Remedies Parish in Malate; Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish in Santa Ana; St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Ermita; and barangays near San Fernando Dilao Parish in Paco and San Agustin Church in Intramuros.
These feeding centers organized by the said parishes provide food for thousands of homeless individuals, made possible through the support of organizations committing time and resources to help the needy.
This series of volunteerism activities for Metrobankers will be sustained for the rest of the year as the feeding program is the first among the planned activities. The next activity will be a mangrove reforestation project in partnership with Toyota Motor Philippines and the Lian Fisherfolk Association, Inc.
*****
The Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) was established on January 8, 1979 by Dr. George S. K. Ty, sixteen (16) years after he founded the Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company (Metrobank). MBFI envisions to be the country’s premier corporate philanthropic foundation contributing a significant impact on social development. Its flagship programs include the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos; Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE); Metrobank Scholarship Program (MSP); Metrobank MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge (MMC); Grants and Social Development Partnerships, Disaster Response, National Teachers’ Month (NTM) celebration, and the Metrobank Foundation Professorial Chair Lectures. MBFI is also the principal owner of the Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH), one of the leading centers of wellness in the country.
As a development organization, MBFI aims to uplift individuals and the sectors they represent and strategically link with institutions for a shared purpose. By creating and propagating a culture of excellence and providing solutions to stakeholder’s needs, the Foundation continuously expands its scope of reach and be at the forefront in serving communities. As the heart of the Metrobank Group, “Excel. Engage. Empower” or the 3Es remains its roadmap.
