A brand-new pair of shoes. A gift box containing toys and school supplies. A set of books. These are things many Filipino children already seem to have. But for school children in underserved and last-mile communities–such as a farming village in Echague, Isabela, Sitio Anipa in Rodriguez, Rizal, and public schools in Lanao Del Norte–these things are considered treasures and owning even any of them brings immense joy.
As SM celebrates the legacy of its founder, Tatang Henry Sy Sr. this Super Month, these AweSM stories of Giving Back recount how partners of The SM Store have helped bring joy to Filipino children by distributing essential items to where they are needed the most.
Like all social good endeavors, SM Store could not achieve all of this without the support of Richwell Philippines, Hasbro, Global Service Centre Philippines, Rotary Club of Subic, WS Pacific Publications, Inc., San Beda College Alabang, St. Mary’s Academy in Quezon City, Sacred Heart School-Hijas de Jesus and UST Angelicu.
Every step made better
To move forward comfortably and securely is a gift our shoes provide in our everyday lives. For some Filipino children, especially those in far-flung communities, a new pair of shoes is not something they can easily afford, and this is why they often settle for worn-out hand-me-downs.
Launched in 2018, Share Shoes promotes the culture of purposeful giving by providing shoes to children who need them most. SM Store customers donate new or pre-loved shoes in exchange for discounts, which they can use to shop in any SM Store branch nationwide. Share Shoes has since distributed more than a million pairs to Filipino children nationwide, including elementary students in Diasan, a remote farming community in Echague, Isabela; and the wards of Catholic orphanage Asociacion de Damas Filipinas, Inc. (ADF).
With the help of a long-time partner who shared the same values and vision as SM Store, this initiative expanded its reach to more kids. The Richwell Group, a leading distributor and retailer of branded apparel, footwear and toys, donated an additional 7,000 pairs of shoes, which were distributed to World Vision Philippines children in Malabon, Baseco in Manila and Quezon City.
“Our love for the Global Child fuels our passion to bring happiness and progress to every Filipino child and family,” said Richwell Philippines’ Chief Operating Officer Maye Yao Co Say.
World Vision Philippines Resource Development Director Jun Godornes said the shoes from the program will greatly boost the morale of the school children of World Vision and will help ease the many challenges facing them and their families with the resumption of face-to-face classes.
Spreading the gift of joy
More than just fun and games, toys are essential to building cognitive, social and emotional skills. However, this is a privilege some Filipino kids cannot enjoy because of a lack of resources.
In recent months, partner companies and organizations of SM Store gifted school children in the remote areas of Rodriguez, Rizal and Zambales with toys generated from the Share-A-Gift program.
From July 30 to September 30, 2021, toy maker Hasbro donated a portion of sales from selected Hasbro merchandise purchased from SM Store and Toy Kingdom to the Share A Gift program. These toys were distributed a day before Christmas to 200 happy pupils of Inigan Elementary School in Rodriguez, Rizal.
More recently, on April 1, 2022, more SM partners such as Global Service Centre Philippines in cooperation with Rotary Club of Subic donated gift boxes to Yellow Boat of Hope (YBH). They contained educational toys and school supplies which were given to the students of various public schools in North Luzon such as Omaya Elementary School in San Narciso, Panglit Elementary School in Masinloc, and Aeta indigenous schools Doña Luisa Obieta Elementary School in Iba and Sta. Martha Elementary School in Palauig in Zambales.
YBH-Zambales Lead implementer, John Arex Ocampo, said, “We have been looking forward to have these toys deployed here in Zambales from Metro Manila. We are thankful for SM Store and The Rotary Club of Subic’s logistics support.”
Creating more opportunities to learn
Access to books and other reading materials is important to a child’s growth and learning. While some schools and organizations have established their own local libraries, the books remain limited and could not accommodate all the eager readers.
Last year, a book company and academic institutions joined hands with SM Store to bring the joy of reading to children in hospitals, charitable institutions, and primary schools in far-flung areas of Mindanao.
In November 2021, WS Pacific Publications, Inc. (WSPPI)—a book publisher and distribution company and the printer of Learning is Fun! Books and Trailblazer Publications Asia Inc. propelled SM Store’s Donate-a-Book drive. Together with customer-generated donations, more than 130,000 books were distributed to the patients of The Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital’s Children’s Ward and Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center; the Smokey Mountain Health Center and Tondo Foreshore Super Health Center; as well as wards of Asociacion De Damas De Filipinas and SOS Children’s Village.
The Donate a Book program also involved SM shoppers who were enjoined to purchase Learning is Fun! books as donations in exchange for a 100 pesos discount coupon for every donation made.
In separate social responsibility initiatives, San Beda College Alabang (SBCA), St. Mary’s Academy in Quezon City, Sacred Heart School-Hijas de Jesus, and UST Angelicum College collected books from their student communities and libraries for the beneficiaries of SM Store’s Donate-A-Book program. “We also want to reach out to the youth as part of our library program to promote reading and support their distance learning through donation of children’s books and textbooks,” the SBCA said in a statement.
Indeed, the more hands join together bounded by the same vision, the more communities are brought up and supported. Through these collective efforts, SM Store goes beyond being a mall and becomes a place that enables the culture of people helping people. Together as a community, greater joy and bigger value can be shared.
You, too, can help uplift the lives of Filipino children by participating in the SM Store’s quarterly community programs such as ShareShoes, Donate-a-Book, Share a Toy, Share your Extras, and Share-a-Gift. Watch out for announcements in The SM Store nearest you or by visiting thesmstore.com.