SM Stores serve as its customers’ conduit to donate school supplies to poor students across the country.
THE refurbished Polomolok East Community Clinic (center, right) in Barangay Cannery, Polomolok, South Cotabato. Children residing at the DSWD Reception and Study Center for Children in Cagayan province receive their school supplies from personnel of SM Store Tuguegarao (left).
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SMF
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Synergizing with a diverse network of partners and institutions from the public and private sectors enables SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI) to harness the full potential of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability programs for vulnerable communities and beneficiaries.
“Engaging stakeholders in both planning and execution drives the success of our social good initiatives,” said Deborah Pe-Sy, executive director of SMFI, the CSR arm of the SM group.
One successful result of such close collaboration is the refurbishment of medical facilities in so-called geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).
The Polomolok East Community Clinic (PECC), a health center that caters to nearly 50,000 individuals, predominantly in GIDAs of South Cotabato. The foundation was behind its renovation plus enhancement of its medical services to include treatment for animal bite, tuberculosis and asthma, plus counseling and family planning.
Also enhanced were the PECC’s dental clinic, operation room, conference room, physicians room and persons with disability-friendly restroom.
Tools for learning
SMFI’s education programs place particular focus on serving underprivileged learners and communities. Its partnership with government, particularly in the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Adopt-A-School Program, aims to address crucial infrastructure needs and classroom deficits. To date, SMFI’s partnership with DepEd has resulted in 366 classrooms built, benefiting 18,300 students.
Among the beneficiaries is the San Antonio Elementary School in Batangas, where SMFI constructed a two-floor, four-classroom building.
Meanwhile, the SM Store’s Shop & Share for Education program is likewise focused on education, helping address the lack of basic school supplies. It’s an innovative program as it invites shoppers to contribute to the effort by sponsoring a school kit for a minimum single-receipt purchase.
Shop & Share for Education aims to distribute back-to-school kits to 12,000 grade school pupils in more than 70 public schools nationwide. The first Shop & Share initiative in 2023 benefited 20 schools across the country, in partnership with various non-government organizations and the local government units of the adopted schools. This year’s initiative will have each SM Store adopt one school beneficiary.
