The SM Store has started to hit the road and seas to distribute more than 100,000 clothes collected via the donation drive Share Your Extras. The team started with Surigao del Norte where Typhoon Odette made landfall, displacing thousands of families and their livelihoods.
Taking boats to get to Nonoc Island and weathering out the disturbed ocean waters, The SM Store Butuan team brought with them clothes donated by shoppers from Butuan and south Luzon. They also brought toys and books to the delight of the kids. The team held a simple gathering with the families, most of whom lost their personal belongings and livelihood due to the typhoon.
“The communities we visited in Surigao del Norte are starting to rebuild their lives, and we are very humbled to be taking part in their journey to recovery through Share Your Extras,” said Tony Bacaling, The SM Store Butuan Assistant Branch Manager. “We were greeted by gloomy skies and rain during the program, but the residents were all smiles. All the preparations and the long travel were worth it.”
Meanwhile, The SM Store Davao teamed up with their local partner Seventh Day Adventist, who then brought the clothing donations to Siargao Island.
“The incredible number of clothes collected via Share Your Extras despite the surge of COVID-19 cases in
January and February showed the fervent desire of The SM Store shoppers and partner organizations to help our fellow Filipinos whose lives were derailed by the typhoon,” said Manjie Yap, The SM Store Vice President for Operations in Mindanao. “It is heartwarming to be the bridge between our kababayans who have been impacted by a disaster and those who want to help them get back on their feet.”
Share Your Extras program, which ran from January 15 to February 28 for the benefit of Odette-hit
communities received overwhelming support from The SM Store shoppers and partner organizations
nationwide. For every donation, they received a P100 discount coupon that can be redeemed at their next
minimum P1,000 denim purchase in-store or via The SM Store Personal Shopper.
Over 100,000 clothes were collected, which are currently being distributed in affected areas in Visayas and
Mindanao, spearheaded by The SM Store branches in the region.
Reaching out to Odette-hit communities in VisMin
The Davao branch visited the Bagobo Klata tribe in Catalunan Pequeño, Davao City where the team was
welcomed with a display of the IP community’s rich culture. In turn, they gifted the community with new and gently used clothes from customers in Molino, Rosario, and Davao branches.
Meanwhile, the Lanang branch brought with them clothes from the north Luzon branches when they visited Tugbok District in Davao. The Puerto Princesa branch, on the other hand, distributed pieces from Metro Manila branches to the residents of Barangay Tagumpay and Barangay Magara in Roxas, Palawan.
In the Visayas, The SM Store Iloilo once again tapped volunteerism among its community when the team visited a Panay Bukidnon indigenous people’s community in Calinog, Iloilo, as well as a far-flung area in San Remegio, Antique. The visits were organized with the help of Katya Delgado, a regular customer of the branch and their usual partner in community programs. They brought with them clothes from Metro Manila and will soon visit Unisan Island in Guimaras to reach more beneficiaries.
Bringing with them donations from North Luzon and Delgado branches, The SM Store Delgado in Iloilo held a turnover ceremony for the Charity Riding Community, Christ-Centered Fellowship, and City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), who will then distribute the clothes to their respective beneficiary communities in Guimaras and Iloilo.
To reach the Odette-hit beneficiaries in Negros Occidental, The SM Store Bacolod tapped their local partners: Carlo Cares Foundation in the Municipality of San Enrique, CSWDO in Himamaylan City, Sitio Paril in Kabankalan City, and the local government unit of the Municipality of Ilog.
In Cebu, The SM Store Consolacion went to their neighboring barangay in Tolotolo where thousands of homes were ravaged by the typhoon. To help the community start over, the team brought almost 12,000 clothes donated by shoppers from the Mall of Asia, Sucat, and Bicutan branches.
Ma. Cecilia Abreu, The SM Store Vice President for Operations in the Visayas expressed her gratitude for the opportunity for local branches to take part in community programs. “Through The SM Store’s corporate social responsibility programs such as Share Your Extras, we are able to connect with and give back to communities not just in areas where SM is present, but those that truly need help,” she said.