Programs : Feeding Program

A common struggle of families in poverty is the constant challenge of finding sufficient food for proper nutrition. While ICM cannot and does not attempt to meet all the nutritional needs within a family, ICM's Feeding Program provides twenty-five of the neediest families in each participating slum with weekly food supplements of 4kg packages of rice. Each week, the local church partnering with ICM, holds educational classes open to the entire community. The needs of the whole person are addressed in this program of instruction which covers basic health and hygienic practices, instruction in character development (integrity, responsibility, anger management, etc.) and sharing of the message of Godís grace. The supplemental rice packages are distributed in conjunction with this educational program.

In 2005/06, the Feeding Program provided weekly rice and education to 3,044 families located in Mindanao, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and Bohol. Assuming the average family has five members, the Feeding Program reached 15,220 individuals. In addition, rice was distributed to over 20,000 other slum residents who visited this program.

Highlights of the Feeding Program in 2005/06 include:

• The rice distributed per family in the weekly Feeding Program was increased from 2kgs to 4 kgs from December 2005 thanks to the generosity of donors at the 2005 Annual Banquet.
• The total amount of rice distributed was 266,000 kg (vs. 114,000 kg in the prior year).
• The weekly Feeding Program was expanded into forty slums in our newest target area: Bohol.