Without so much fanfare, on the early morning dawn of December 30, 2011, the Dolefil Caravan of Hope left the Dolefil Gym for the second wave of relief operations in Northern Mindanao, carrying with them all the hopes of all the Dolefil employees for a better future for victims of Typhoon Sendong.

A week earlier, during the first wave of relief operations on December 23, 2011, forty-five (45) volunteers made up of members of the Dolefil Kaugnay, Dolefil Mountaineering Club, as well as the company’s partner cooperatives, travelled on board three commuter vans on route to a ten-hour trip to Cagayan De Oro.

They were trailed by three ten-wheeler trucks from Jomaray Trucking which carried the relief goods composed of Dole canned pineapple products, rice, other canned food items, noodles, plastic mats, blankets/quilts, water with an estimated value of P4.5 million, sufficient for 3,120 family-beneficiaries.

 

DOLEFIL CARAVAN OF HOPE VOLUNTEERS GIVE OUT DOLE GIFT BOXES IN CAGAYAN DE ORO

The volunteers of the Dolefil Caravan of Hope themselves distributed the relief goods to various evacuation centers in Cagayan de Oro City, bringing smiles to the homeless families.  Aid amounting to P1.2 million from Dolefil Caravan of Hope were also extended to families in Valencia City in Bukidnon, another province hit hard by the same devastating typhoon.

AFFECTED FAMILIES OF TYPHOON SENDONG LINE UP FOR DOLEFIL CARAVAN OF HOPE DONATIONS

Atty. Melquiades L. Hernandez III, Dolefil HR Division Director, shares, “In this season of love and sharing, it was heartwarming to note the outpouring of support from the Dolefil employees, unions, cooperatives and other business partners who unselfishly shared their blessings for the benefit of the typhoon victims just in time for the Holidays.

For the record, Dolefil (the Grand Kapatid Awardee of 2011) and its employees alone have collectively raised over P1M, which was used to purchase basic necessities such as rice and water for the family-beneficiaries in Northern Mindanao.

Good work Dolefil for this humanitarian mission!   May your story inspire other groups to do the same for our brothers and sisters affected by Typhoon Sendong.

Check out this video about their relief mission.