ABS-CBN Zambo, Ateneo hold 'Christmas Love Drive'
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 12/13/2008 12:42 AM
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When 27-year-old office clerk Nanet Mendoza and her officemates planned for their traditional Christmas party this year, they instinctively thought of doing some charity work as a way of giving back to the community.
Just like any other business in the world today, the food company where Mendoza is employed has also started feeling the effects of the economic crunch. Sales were down in the last two months and as a result, targeted year-end revenues will be difficult to achieve.
“But despite the crisis, we still managed to keep our jobs,” Mendoza said. “There is still reason to be hopeful.”
After all, it is Christmastime. It is a time of hope, and a time of giving.
Instead of preparing for a more grandiose Christmas party, Mendoza and her colleagues decided to cut back on their spending. With a few savings on hand, they decided to buy some grocery items and collected some old clothes and books to give to poor families.
Since they can only give to a limited number of families, Mendoza suggested that they turn over their goods to the Christmas Love Drive organized by the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) and ABS-CBN.
The Christmas Love Drive is an annual celebration of the ADZU, spearheaded by the Campus Ministry Office. This is a collaborative effort of the college students, faculty and staff and central services of the university. It aims to respond to the needs of the less fortunate in Zamboanga City and to enliven the spirit of Christmas through sharing.
Last year, the ABS-CBN Regional Network Group in Zamboanga City forged a tie-up with ADZU to bring the Christmas Love Drive Campaign to a higher level. From a project solely involving students of the university, the tie-up opened the campaign to the public.
A number of private companies, non-government organizations and ordinary residents responded to the call for donations and contributed to the more successful Christmas Love Drive.
“We may admit it or not, but many of us associate Christmas with extravagant parties and grand celebrations,” ABS-CBN Zamboanga station manager Soraida Edris-Infante said.
“We may be forgetting that there are many others out there as well who barely have anything to eat.”
Jericho Panganiban, ADZU’s Christmas Love Drive coordinator, added: “Now is the opportunity to make a difference. Even the smallest donation would really count for our less fortunate brothers and sisters.”
When Mendoza and her officemates delivered their donations to the ABS-CBN station in Zamboanga City last weekend, they were even more grateful when the organizers behind the project should be thanking them in the first place.
“It really feels good to be able to give to someone when you know that someone can’t repay you for the good deed you’ve done,” Mendoza explained. “And that feeling overwhelms me, especially during these hard times. It just makes it more special.”
Donations such as rice, clothes, canned goods, noodles, milk, coffee, sugar, toiletries, medicines, toys (except toy guns or toys that tend to promote violence) and school supplies are being accepted until December 19, 2008.
Families from at least eight poor communities, including students from a remote public school, have been chosen by the ADZU Campus Ministry Office to become this year's beneficiaries.
Cash donations may be deposited through the following BPI bank account numbers with the account name “Ateneo de Zamboanga University”: BPIM 2114-0103-51, Swift Code: BOPIPHMM (Dollar account) and BPIM 2111-0001-42 (Peso account).
For inquiries, the contact numbers for the Christmas Love Drive project are (062) 991-0871, local 2221 or 2222 (ADZU Campus Ministry Office) and (062) 993-1802 (ABS-CBN Zamboanga).
