Inspired by the food-based community pantries put up in several parts of the country, a group of individuals from public and private sectors in this city came up with education pantries that will supplement the learning needs of students.

Dubbed as “Project NEST (Nurturing Environment and System for Thriving)”, the education pantries have so far been established in 27 public schools here.

“Ang pangangailangan ng mga bata at magulang sa aspeto ng edukasyon ay hindi natatapos. Kailangan ay tuluy-tuloy ang access nila dito kaya ang implementasyon ng ating programa, magagawa siya sa buong school year (The needs of children and parents in the education aspect have no end. Their access here must be continuous. Thus, the implementation of our program can be done the whole school year),” David Zab Jimenez, who established the project, said in a social media post on Wednesday.

Jimenez, the education consultant of the City Government of San Fernando, said in this project, children and their parents or guardians may give or avail of their tangible and intangible educational needs.

The tangible items available at the pantries are school supplies and learning materials, while services, including tutoring, counseling, parenting tips, among others, are available under the intangible category.

Jimenez encouraged parents or guardians to join the NEST Education Community Pantry of the school in their barangay by communicating with the school head or teachers.

“They may also visit the school, barangay, or their respective Sangguniang Kabataan offices to drop their letters or forms containing their request for supplies or services,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jimenez said individuals or groups may also physically drop their tangible donations or relay their interests to serve through the school or barangay offices within their area.

The Panipuan Elementary School, one of the 27 learning institutions with an established pantry, started Tuesday the distribution of donations, in time for the first week of classes for school year 2021-2022.

School principal Maria Luz Dacoco, said the donations were from different individuals or groups that include local residents, local officials and the business community.

“Napakaganda na mayroong ‘spirit of sharing’ ngayong panahon ng pandemiya dahil maraming mga pamilya ang nangangailangan ng karagdagang kagamitan o tulong sa edukasyon. Kami sa sektor ng edukasyon, sinisiguro sa ating mga donors at benefactors na mapupunta sa mga nangangailangan itong mga tulong nila (Having this spirit of sharing in this time of pandemic is best because there is a lot of families that need additional help on education. We, in the education sector, assure our donors and benefactors that their support and help will go to those in need),” Dacoco said. (PNA)