IT SEEMS hunger, like poverty, never takes a holiday. Every day, millions of Filipinos go to bed without enough to eat — not because there isn’t enough food, but because there isn’t enough fairness in how it’s shared.
That’s why the story of Canada’s first-ever free grocery store caught my attention. Located in Regina, Saskatchewan, and run by the Regina Food Bank, it looks just like any supermarket — shelves neatly stocked with fresh produce, dairy, and staples. The only difference? Everything is free.
Families can “shop” for up to $200 worth of groceries every two weeks, choosing what they actually need rather than receiving pre-packed boxes. It’s a dignified approach to fighting hunger — and one that we, in the Philippines, can and should learn from.
The concept is simple but profound: hunger relief with dignity. Instead of making the poor line up for food aid or rely on handouts, it gives them back the freedom to choose.
In Regina, one in eight families faces food insecurity. Here at home, that figure is worse — according to the World Food Programme, nearly 26% of Filipino families experience food insecurity, with rural and urban poor households hit hardest.
So could the “free grocery store” model work in our country?
I believe it could — and it should.
We already have the legal and moral infrastructure to make it possible. The Philippine Food Bank Foundation, established in 2017, has been quietly collecting and redistributing surplus food from restaurants, groceries, and farms.
The Rise Against Hunger Philippines movement and Gawad Kalinga’s Kusina ng Kalinga feed thousands daily. And let’s not forget the community pantries that bloomed nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic — a people-powered proof that compassion can be decentralized and spontaneous.
If these efforts were woven together — supported by local government units (LGUs), guided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and incentivized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) — we could create a nationwide network of community grocery stores where food security is not charity, but a civic right.
I say this with conviction: such a project should not be owned by the government. Once politics enters the grocery aisle, fairness exits through the back door. Instead, these stores should be operated by accredited non-profit organizations — preferably cooperatives or social enterprises — supported but not controlled by the government. (To be continued)/PN
