The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Walang Gutom Kitchen (WGK) served a total of 200,003 meals to 142,246 unique and returning clients experiencing involuntary hunger, including families and individuals in street situations (FISS) in 2025.
“Ang layunin po ng Walang Gutom Kitchen ay hindi lamang simpleng pagbibigay ng pagkain. Ang lahat po ng putahe na inihahain natin sa ating mga benepisyaryo sa araw-araw ay pinaghahandaang mabuti at sinisiguro natin na masustansya. Ibig sabihin, nakapag-serve na tayo ng mahigit 200,000 na masusustansyang pagkain (The aim of the WGK is not just to serve simple meals. Every meal that we serve to our beneficiaries everyday are diligently prepared and guaranteed to be nutritious. It means we have already served more than 200,000 nutritious meals),” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a statement on Wednesday.
The DSWD spokesperson said these numbers were made possible through the assistance of the private sector in maintaining the daily operations of the kitchen.
Aside from providing nutritious hot meals, the WGK also aims to reduce food wastage by turning donated surplus food from hotels, restaurants and organizations into hot meals.
“Sila ang dahilan kung bakit mayroon tayong masasarap at masusustansyang pagkain araw-araw sa kitchen. Gaya kahapon, ang menu sa WGK ay garlic rice, scrambled egg with potato, at fried tuna para sa breakfast. Noong lunch naman, ang kinain ng mga benepisyaryo ay kanin, fried chicken shanghai, at ginisang sayote at carrots (They are the reason why we have delicious and nutritious food in the kitchen every day. On Tuesday, breakfast at WGK was garlic rice, scrambled egg with potato, and fried tuna. For lunch, beneficiaries have rice, fried chicken, lumpiang shanghai and sautéed sayote and carrots),” Dumlao said.
Companies, groups and individuals also rendered volunteer services as food and water servers, registration personnel and crowd control personnel in 2025.
“Malaking tulong talaga ang mga donors at volunteers natin. Sabi nga ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian (Our donors and volunteers are a great help. Like what Secretary Gatchalian said), though the DSWD does provide manpower and we pay for the utilities, everything else is powered by the private sector, from food to serving each plate to beneficiaries,” she said.
The WGK is one of the DSWD’s innovative programs that helps realize the long-time aspiration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to end hunger and ensure that no Filipino family should go hungry.
It is an offshoot of the Walang Gutom Program, a flagship program of the Marcos administration under Executive Order No. 44, which is the country’s version of the food stamp program similar to other countries. (PNA)