ONE IMPORTANT theme that we can draw from the words of Pope Benedict is the notion of giving flesh to the image of a loving and compassionate God.

Compassion is one of the central themes in the teachings of Jesus and His compassion is always accompanied by action. In this time of crisis, many of our fellow Filipinos are hungry. The pandemic has caused many of them out of their jobs. How can we convince these people of a God who provides and answers all our needs? The answer to this question can be seen in the context of groups

Gifted to Give: The MC Way

“The Church can never be exempted from practicing charity as organized activity of believers, and on the other hand, there will

never be a situation where the charity of each individual Christian is unnecessary, because in addition to justice, humans need, and will

always need, love.” (Pope Benedict XVI, DCE 2005)

THE FIRST COMMUNITY PANTRY organized by Patricia Non in Maginhawa St. Quezon City, became an inspiration for other individuals and groups to put

up community pantries not just in Metro Manila but also in the different parts of the country. Despite the so-called “red tagging” and political attacks by some government authorities to the organizers of community pantries, individuals and organizations continue to advocate for such initiative.

The community pantries illustrate the kindness, compassion, and generosity of people to aid those in need particularly amid the pandemic crisis. Through the sponsorship of MCHS Batch 1981 and in partnership with MISMO, our beloved institution responded to this call of giving and sharing. It is also a way for HS Batch ’81 to make their celebration of their Ruby year more inspiring and meaningful. The community pantries sponsored by HS Batch ’81 served a total of 1774 families (Kaisahang Ugnayan ng Mamamayan (KUM) members and MC outsourced personnel). In this regard, the MMCAA and MISMO will discuss the plan of continued partnership in relation to this endeavor. MISMO extends its gratitude to our community leaders, janitorial, and security staff who helped in the collection and distribution of goods/items.q

MCHS Batch ‘81: Celebrating Ruby Year in a Meaningful Way

and organizations responding to a lot of hungry and needy people. Indeed, God’s goodness and generosity is alive among people who are moved with compassion, who are moved to help those in need without succumbing to fatigue. The Miriam College employees, students, and alumni are always ready to reach out to others, to offer a helping hand to those in need of help. These outreach activities allow other people to experience God’s providence and generosity. q

SINCE THE START of the pandemic, our Miriam College community constantly and collectively reach out to our outsourced personnel. The janitorial and

maintenance staff of the institution are among those gravely affected by the situation. Due to the rotational basis of their reporting schedule, their income drastically reduced their ability to meet their essential needs. For the third time, a monetary donation was given to them last March of this year. A total of 59 personnel received an amount of P2,500 each for a total of P147,500. The amount is sourced from the MISMO Disaster Response Fund in which P81,623.95 came from the undistributed donations of alumni, students, and employees. The outsourced personnel express their sincerest gratitude to Miriam College for the assistance they received. When asked what they can say about the help they received from Miriam, one of the personnel said “at lumipas ang isang taon na may pandemic, nandiyan ka pa rin Miriam College at di nagdadalawang isip na tulungan kami sa pang araw araw na pagkain. Kaya sobra sobrang pasasalamat ko at ng pamilya ko sa walang sawang pagtulong sa amin.” (Quoted from the Ryders and Sparks Custodian).

MC Partner Communities Express their Deep Gratitude to Miriam College

THE LEADERS of our partner communities express their deep gratitude to Miriam College (through

MISMO) for the unending support or assistance they are receiving from the institution. Here are some excerpts from the messages they sent though the FB messenger:

“Mula sa Kumonidad ng DaanTubo kami ay lubos at taus pusong nagpapasalamat sa paghubog ng MISMO sa aming mga nanay upang maging volunteers kaya nabuo ang Kaisahang Ugnayan ng Mamamayan at dahil din sa mga parents, students, teachers and staff ng miriam na nakikipagtulungan upang magkaroon ng magandang proyekto na ang resulta ay magandang pagbabago sa buhay ng bawat taong natutulungan maliit man o malaki nakakabigay ito ng saya at kaginhawaan sa bawat isa....kaya ipagpatuloy natin ang pagmamahalan at pagkakaisa ng bawat isa dahil marami buhay ang nagbabago kapag tayo ang nagdadamayan at nagtutulungan”....... MARAMING SALAMAT PO!!!!

“Ang buong Park 7 Community especially KUM members ay natutuwa na silay isa sa mga taong pinahalagahan ng MIRIAM COMMUNITY. Mag mula ng magka pandemic, sila’y buong puso na dumadamay sa amin.

Laging may paraan ang MIRIAM upang ang lahat ng partner community nila ay mapangalagaan. Sa lahat ng aming hirap at saya ang MIRIAM ay lagi naming kasama, parang motto yata nila: KAPWA MUNA BAGO SARILI.”

Happy morning po sa lahat😊Mula sa Kaingin 1 malaking bagay po ang maging kabahagi o partnerahip ng MISMO dahil sa maraming natutunan at nahuhubog dahil sa mga aral at seminars na binibigay nio po sa aming komunidad lalo na sa maayos na pakikipagkapwa Tao...sa kabila na meron tau pandemyang kinakaharap patuloy pa rin ang inyong supporta pra sa aming mga mamamayan ng K1....kaya Mula po sa aming puso lubos po kami nagpapasalamat sa inyo lahat lalo na sa MISMO staff at MCHS na hindi kami iniiwan kahit kelan dahil nanjan kau palagi pra sa amin komunidad. God bless you all po🙏😇

“Isa kami sa partner community ng MC na ramdam ang pagnanasa ninyong tumulong mula pa noong nagsimula ang pandemia hanggang ngayon. Sana tuloy tuloy lng po ang partnership ng MISMO sa mga communities, nagiging instrumento kayo sa nakakarami para maghatid ng tulong. Nagiging Source din kayo ng Pag-asa or Hope dahil kahit sa gitna ng pandemia nandiyan pa rin kayo handang tumulong sa mga nangangàilangan. Taus puso po

kaming napupugay at nagpapasalamat sa mga tao at organization na walang sawang tumurulong at handang magbigay ng kanilang serbisyo.”

“Malaki po ang nagawa ng mc sa lahat ng kum community yan ay ayon sa aking nakita mula pa nong nakaraang taon na nagsimula yung pandemic at hangang ngayon di nyo po kami nakalimutan na suportahan sa abot ng inyong kakayanan ako po kasi ngayon ay isa rin po sa namimigay ng mga food packs sa mga community na nasa special community lockdown dito sa loob ng nasasakupan ng barangay UP campus kaya alam ko po kung gaano kaimportante ang binibigay nyong tulong para sa amin na partner community nyo kaya po mula po sa akin at sa mga kasamahan kong members ng kum dito sa Pook Libis marami pong salamat at nakita ko rin po na mas kailangan ng mga tao ay yung pang araw araw nilang pangangailangan lalo na po ang bigas muli po maraming salamat po sa inyo at sa mga tao o organisasyon na tumutulong na mag sponsor. God bless po sa lahat.”

Reaching Out to MC’s Outsourced Personnel