The Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) has launched its version of the now-widespread community pantry putting up free food stalls across the province.

Major Norman Nuez, BPPO deputy director for operations, said all 48 police stations in the province established their own community pantries starting last week.

The stalls also adopted the slogan of the original community pantry in Maginhawa Street, Quezon City, “maghatag sa inyong makaya. Kuha sa imong gikinahanglan lang.”

The BPPO’s launching of the community pantries is part of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) “Barangayanihan” program.

According to Nuez, so far they have mostly been seeing senior citizens and “indigents” lining up to get supplies from the police food stalls.

“Timing pud na ting lukat sa police clearance na para sa national ID, mga indigents og senior citizen mana sila ang mga giuna so mao pud ilang maagian,” Nuez said.

Community pantries have been sprouting all over Bohol starting in Tagbilaran City where a group of young entrepreneurs and the Diocese of Tagbilaran started the “Bohol Community Pantry.”

A restaurant in the city was also among the pioneers in establishing one of the first free food stalls in the province.

The community pantry which started in Maginhawa Street in Quezon City has been lauded for being a “good virus” that has spread across the country reaching even the Visayas and Mindanao.

The idea behind the initiative is to allow people to give and take what they need from the community pantry which offers essential goods such as food and hygiene products. (R. Tutas)