Making a Difference and Changing Lives: URC Flour Division Employees Volunteer Across All Sites

In a remarkable display of unity and commitment, URC Flour Division employees from Manila, Sariaya, and Davao embarked on a series of impactful volunteer activities that underscore the theme, "Together, we’re not just making a difference; we’re changing lives." This comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative reflects URC's dedication to fostering sustainable and meaningful change in communities across the Philippines.

Starting in January 2024, the "Juan Goal for Plastic" campaign was set to take place every third Friday of the month, aiming to reduce plastic waste and promote environmental sustainability. The initiative encourages communities to collect and recycle plastic, showcasing their commitment to a cleaner planet. The URC Flour Plant in Pasig is proud to showcase the efforts that employees continuously partake in, as 12,238 PET bottles were collected from January to August 2024. This is equivalent to 847.75 Kilograms of plastic collected through the relentless commitment of 163 eco-warriors. The Plant extends the impact they are creating by partnering up with Brgy. Pineda whose residents also contribute their own PET bottle donations. The collection occurs monthly, and the Plant commits to donating these bottles to accredited junk shops with partnered recycling organizations. These collection efforts are also religiously practiced in Sariaya and Davao, thus ensuring that the advocacy is reflected across all the different Plants.

In celebration of Philippine Environment Month in June of this year, volunteers also engaged in various activities aimed at protecting and preserving the environment. In celebration of National Arbor Day on June 25, our employees planted 1,800 trees in contribution to reforestation efforts and the fight against climate change. This day aims to remind us of the critical role that trees play in our ecosystem and our employees were sure to respond accordingly. Our employees committed to our mission of building a sustainable tomorrow by coming together at the Eden Resort Reservation Area in Toril, Davao City and Brgy. Casta?as in Sariaya, Quezon. They did not only plant trees, but also represented our proactive stance in nurturing an eco-friendly community. We hope that this same mission continues to translate in our regular and day-to-day tasks that challenge us to become a greener URC altogether.

Apart from sustaining our previous campaigns and ensuring that their goals are still intact, we continue to seek out other activities that enrich our understanding of how to practice social responsibility. One of which was a bloodletting activity held on June 26 at the URC Flour Plants in Pasig and Davao where employees took part in a movement that can save lives. A total of 13 volunteers from the Davao Plant donated 21 bags which could save up to 63 lives. 39 employees from the Pasig Plant were able to donate around 30 bags, equivalent to about 84 lives saved. This initiative allowed volunteers to experience the value of putting people first on a much deeper level, first-handedly contributing to a noble deed of vital service to the greater community. We thank our partners from Red Cross Philippines for providing us with an avenue to participate in a significant activity that helps us fully realize the impacts of our seemingly small acts.

The mission to build a holistically sustainable community cannot miss to acknowledge the importance of quality education as a critical tool and human right. We took part in the Brigada Eskwela campaign last July 22, 24, and 26 at the Pineda Elementary School in Pasig, the F. Bangoy Senior Highschool in Davao, the Talaan Elementary School in Sariaya, and the Canda Elementary School, also in Sariaya. The team was able to donate 1 television and 5 electric fans to each school, which would cater to 4 classrooms with around 25 students per room. Apart from the donations, volunteers also immersed themselves with various educators who were preparing for the upcoming academic year by discussing ways to foster better learning environments in the learning space. Our employees would not have been able to join this humbling experience without the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) which aims to build the future through education. Together with our partners from GBF, our employees shared in the vision that aspires to see every Filipino with access to education that enables them to work and contribute to family and the country.

Finally, the efforts catering to environmental protection and preservation did not end with the tree planting activity alone. Employees also took part in mangrove planting and conservation efforts last July 26 and 27, in celebration of World Mangrove Day. This day aims to highlight the importance of nurturing our mangrove forests that provide habitat and refuge to a wide array of wildlife. Our colleagues traveled to Sitio Bacungan, Brgy. Castanas in Sariaya, Quezon Province to roll out the "Angat URC, Angat Sariaya, Angat Kalikasan" Mangrove Tree Planting activity where we were able to contribute to the campaign towards the rehabilitation of this vulnerable ecosystem. A total of 1,500 seedlings were planted by the end of the activity.

Through these collective efforts, employees from the URC Flour Division serve as a beacon of hope for the increasingly safe, secure, and sustainable future we all hope to create. May these successes remind us that we all carry a greater responsibility that transcends the business. We encourage our colleagues to seek more opportunities to engage in initiatives that would allow us to use our talents and skills for the greater good in today’s evolving world. Let us keep taking more steps and building more blocks towards a brighter tomorrow, Ka-URC!