Driven by their shared commitment to give back to communities, retail electricity supplier Vantage Energy and food company Mekeni Food Corporation recently joined forces to empower students and faculty members of a school in the rural mountains of Porac, Pampanga.

The wholly-owned RES subsidiary of Meralco and Mekeni provided printers, books, school supplies, reusable water bottles and disinfectants to some 500 kinder to high school students of Villa Maria Integrated School.

Aside from the provision of learning aids and supplies, the food company also turned over wall fans to be installed in the classrooms, and prepared meals for all the students and school personnel.

Enrollees of the school beneficiary are mostly from the Aeta community.

To enhance the school community's safety knowledge during disasters, Mekeni also conducted an emergency preparedness training to educate students and teachers on important procedures in case of fire and earthquake incidents.

The collaboration falls under Vantage Energy's corporate social responsibility program, which focuses on supporting Filipino education and empowering the future leaders of the country. This aligns with Mekeni's own initiative to improve the lives of the communities of Pampanga, particularly the Indigenous residents.

 "This is our first time to collaborate with our RES for a CSR program and we appreciate everyone who joined us in doing something so meaningful for our fellow Kapampangans and Katutubo," said Marilou Uy, Mekeni assistant vice president for human resources and exports.

Vantage Energy launched its back-to-school donation drive in 2020 in collaboration with Meralco's social development arm, One Meralco Foundation. Since then, the project has reached 19 schools across the country, benefiting over 19,800 students.

"We always look forward to partnerships that go beyond contractual obligation, providing an avenue for our partners to be a part of impactful initiatives in uplifting the Filipino nation," said Vantage Energy president Ernesto Cabral.