Rebuilding after disaster starts with food

When disasters strike, recovery does not begin and end with rebuilding homes, roads and livelihoods. For communities already facing food insecurity, restoring access to nutritious food can be just as critical.

This is where Rise Against Hunger Philippines (RAHP) sees a growing need as the country enters the months when nearly 70% of tropical cyclones typically develop. In recent years, disasters have affected more than 2 million Filipinos annually, disrupting livelihoods, damaging crops and making access to food more difficult for vulnerable communities.

For Jomar Fleras, Executive Director of RAHP, repeated disasters can deepen vulnerabilities that already exist.

“The communities affected are often those that were already nutritionally vulnerable to begin with,” Fleras said. “With typhoons and storms coming one after another, there is barely any time for recovery. Crops are destroyed, livelihoods are affected, and the cycle of poverty and hunger continues.”

The challenge is significant in a country regularly exposed to typhoons, earthquakes, floods and other disasters. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an estimated 37.8 million Filipinos experienced food insecurity from 2022 to 2024.

For many affected communities, recovery therefore means more than restoring physical infrastructure. It also means rebuilding livelihoods and ensuring that families have reliable access to food.

Responding at scale

RAHP, which describes itself as the Philippines’ first and only nationally accredited food bank, has developed a nationwide network designed to mobilize food and other resources during emergencies.

“We don’t do small-scale responses. If we respond, we respond at scale,” Fleras said.

The organization reaches approximately 1.8 million Filipinos annually through food assistance, disaster response, school feeding and community-based programs.

Its operations are supported by a network of about 85 food manufacturers and private-sector partners, while the organization itself operates with roughly 25 full-time employees. Its logistics, warehousing and distribution capabilities have also led government agencies to work with RAHP during major disaster responses.

Rather than relying solely on traditional relief distribution, RAHP has sought to build a broader system in which companies and other organizations contribute resources, expertise and manpower.

Turning corporate support into community impact

RAHP’s private-sector network includes food manufacturers, logistics providers, financial institutions, business-process outsourcing firms and multinational companies.

Among its partners are Amazon, JPMorgan and JTI Philippines, with each contributing in different ways to the organization’s disaster response and food assistance programs.

“Companies are not ATMs. We look at our donors as partners,” Fleras said. “We want organizations that believe in the cause and share our vision of a world without hunger.”

The model was put to the test following a major earthquake in Cebu, when emergency demand quickly depleted available supplies of tents.

Working with Amazon and local partners, RAHP developed temporary shelter kits that families could assemble themselves. Residents participated in building the shelters, while an Amazon employee from the affected community helped coordinate volunteers on the ground.

“What made that response successful wasn’t the donation itself,” Fleras said. “It was the collaboration. People in the community helped build the shelters, volunteers organized the effort, and partners contributed resources. That’s what allows us to respond at scale.”

For RAHP, such partnerships demonstrate how corporate resources can be converted into practical, community-level assistance during emergencies.

JTI Philippines is another long-term partner, providing financial support, employee volunteers and access to its nationwide operational presence for food assistance initiatives.

Faith Mondejar, Community Investment Manager of JTI Philippines, said the partnership reflects the company’s approach of contributing more than financial resources.

“Every organization has something different to contribute. For us, it’s not only financial support. It’s also our people, our nationwide presence, and the relationships we’ve built in the communities where we operate,” Mondejar said.

“Rise Against Hunger Philippines brings the expertise in food banking and disaster response, while we contribute the strengths we have as an organization. Together, we’re able to reach more communities than either of us could on our own.”

Building a stronger food banking system

Beyond emergency response, RAHP is advocating for the institutionalization of food banking through the proposed Food Banking Bill while supporting efforts to strengthen the capacity of food banks across the country.

“We’re focused on developing models that others can replicate,” Fleras said. “If more organizations can do what we’re doing, then we can reach more people.”

For RAHP, food banking is not simply an emergency relief mechanism. It is part of a broader effort to reduce food waste, improve food access and help communities recover more quickly when disasters strike.

As climate and disaster risks continue to challenge vulnerable communities, strengthening the country’s food banking infrastructure could become an increasingly important component of disaster preparedness and long-term recovery.