Manila, Philippines—It all started with McDonald’s Philippines’ commitment in March 2020, at the height of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The intent was to serve McDonald’s meals to the nation’s frontliners and underprivileged communities, through McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen, an initiative of Ronald McDonald House Charities Philippines (RMHC), McDonald’s charity of choice. Select McDonald’s branches comprise the venues, manned by managers, staff, and volunteers alike, in line with the brand’s commitment to spreading kindness and customer delight, especially amidst challenging times.
Figure 1: McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen and Metrobank in partnership with Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation
Malasakit, when it counts the most
“Guided by our core value of malasakit, giving back or supporting the community has always been part of our culture at McDonald’s. We are happy to serve meals to our fellow Filipinos especially to the health care workers and various volunteers who have been in the front line of this battle against the pandemic. We are grateful for the generosity of our corporate partners and individual donors who chose to help through RMHC. Together, we can continue to help through McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen, ” shares Kenneth Yang, McDonald’s Philippines President and CEO.
Figure 2: Medical workers in Taguig-Pateros Hospitals send their thanks to McDonalds Kindness Kitchen and donors
Frontliners give thanks
And, this kindness has not gone unappreciated. Frontliners from various beneficiary hospitals have fervently expressed their gratitude for McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen’s generosity. Since the campaign began in 2020, social media appreciation posts have poured in. “The food provided truly help and uplift our spirits in providing continuous health care to our patients and staff,” shared Lovelight Cruz, POC-ER Nurse Station, Philippine Orthopedic Center, on behalf of the hospital’s Emergency Room Department, in her Facebook post last September 2020.
In a post from October, 2020, Ospital ng Paranaque frontliners reached out in thanks, as well: “Lubos po itong nakatulong upang makapaghatid pa ng serbisyo sa ating bayan (This has greatly helped us in our continued service of our nation). We are so thankful for your generosity and may the Lord continue to bless all your hard work. You are all truly our heroes. Mabuhay po kayo!”
The team at Dr. Jose Natalio Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center thanked McDonald’s for its act of kindness, which they said “means a lot to our medical frontliners.” Meanwhile, the on-duty frontliners at the Gumaca Isolation Facility in Barangay Panikihan voiced similar sentiments of gratefulness for the 50 meals shared with them and with patients at the facility. Likewise, the Mary Immaculate Maternity and General Hospital’s team thanked McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen in Malolos Bayan for the “love and support,” saying “love ka namin” (we love you).
Numerous other hospitals and facilities, as well as individual frontliner beneficiaries, posted not only messages of thanks, but also photos of themselves and their team enjoying the meals. Most noticeably, said frontliners were smiling through their hardships.
Figure 3: Frontliners from VRP Medical Center receive donated meals
Kindness wins—always
Since the launch of the initial McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen project over a year ago, McDonald’s has more than exceeded its initial commitment of 50,000 meals. To date, with the generous support of its partner companies and private donors, has distributed a total of more than 500,000 meals to over 400 hospitals and quarantine centers, as well as 500 communities, from north to south of the metro. Most, if not all, of said facilities are in areas of critical risk and are at full bed capacity. Indeed, the value of McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen’s service cannot be underestimated, given the extremely challenging situation, especially for frontliners and for Filipinos in marginalized communities.
McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen’s efforts will continue into the coming months, and those who wish to be involved may visit Ronald McDonald House Charities website for details on how to help. Be part of the cycle of giving to discover how kindness always wins.