Despite its efforts to stay low key and out of mainstream media attention, food giant Monde Nissin Corp (MNC) couldn’t stop Netizens from posting on social media, heaping praises on the company for its donations of CoViD-19 test kits and food items.
A number of Facebook posts has been circulating, showing happy local government officials grateful with the goods donated by MNC.
In April, TessDrive learned from these Facebook posts that MNC coordinated with Temasek Foundation of Singapore, the Singapore Embassy, and the Department of Health to facilitate the donation of 40,000 test kits, half of which were paid by MNC. MNC was also said to donate its food products to various local government units, through runs done by MNC employees.
On April 10, a post from Antipolo City mayor Jun-Andeng Ynares received almost 8,000 likes and was shared by 649 people. The post read: “86,400 pieces of Lucky Me! Instant noodles ang tinanggap natin mula Nissin Monde. Dagdag namin sa relief goods. Salamat po, Monde Nissin! (We received 86,400 pieces of Lucky Me! instant noodles, to be added to the relief goods. Thank you, Monde Nissin!)”
Rise Against Hunger also acknowledged MNC, among other donors, in its April 22 post.
“Mother volunteers were preparing hot meals for the over 180 families displaced by the recent fire at Happyland Tondo and are now sheltered at Gen. Vicente Lim Elementary School. At the warehouse, volunteers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines were also packing hygiene kits for the evacuees.” Five days prior, in an activity for frontliners at the Philippine General Hospital on April 17, it also posted, “We just delivered food items and personal care products to over 300 healthcare workers!” along with the hashtag of MNC and other brands.
Give Ph reposted Manny Labrador’s Facebook post on April 15, which read: “To date over 45,000 cases of Lucky Me! noodles have been shared with our crisis-stricken kababayans through the works of various NGOs and LGUs! Ipagpatuloy at ipagbunyi ang Bayanihan para sa Bayan! (Continue and celebrate the Bayanihan Para sa Bayan!)”. Give PH’s Facebook status read: “Thank you Lucky Me! for making us a part of this and be able to feed families at-risk in Cavite, Muntinlupa and soon to our new community in Caloocan.”
On April 8, Maria Loraine Dinopol Tarranza of Davao posted on her Facebook page: “Packed & sealed w/ love from the employees & the entire Monde Nissin #famealy #DonationRun para sa bayan! (for the nation!).” The post gained 260 shares.
Steve Silverio also posted on Facebook on April 8: “Sharing blessings to our village frontliners. Thank you! #NuvaliPH #NuvaliCaresforYou #HelpfromHome #DonationRun #LuckyMe
On April 12, the Pangasinan provincial government’s Facebook page posted: “Monde Nissin donates 4 truckloads of noodles to LGU-Pangasinan.” The post then detailed that MNC donated 1,200 boxes of Lucky Me! Pancit Canton (about 87,000 packs) to the provincial government in two runs—April 8 and 11.
On April 6, Cainta mayor Johnielle Keith Pasion Nieto posted, in part: “Ngayon naman si Ms. Betty Ang ng Monde Nissin ang nagpadala ng dalawang 10 wheeler truck na puno ng lucky me pancit canton noodles galing Sta Rosa Laguna. Salamat sobra. Mukhang matatawid na natin ang semana santa. (Now this time Ms Betty Ang of MNC sent over two 10-wheeler trucks loaded with Lucky Me! Pancit Canton noodles from Santa Rosa, Laguna. Thanks so much. It looks like this will tide us over the Holy Week).”
Such social media posts prove that the public hungers not just for sustenance, but for acts of humanity and compassion, especially in this extraordinary time when everyone depends on one another; every act towards another can either inspire or demoralize. It’s good news, indeed, that a corporate giant like Monde Nissin does the former, despite the fact that, according to Monde Nissin’s communications team, they are “intentionally not doing any PR on our giving efforts.”
Acts of kindness and compassion do speak for themselves, and they have found their voice in social media in the persons of grateful recipients.