Lea, Grace, and Malou had their own different stories that all led them to volunteer in a soup kitchen in Quezon City. Through a very memorable experience together at Karinderia ni Mang Urot (KMU), they all felt a bond that made serving others even more fulfilling.
Malou – The Super Mom
Malou initially thought of volunteering as a means to keep her occupied as she recovers after coming out of a recent relationship. Since she never volunteered before, and didn’t know where to go, she started searching online for volunteer opportunities, and found Karinderia ni Mang Urot via iVolunteer Philippines. It has been more than a year since she embarked on this journey, and now, she considers volunteering to be an integral part of who she has become. At present, right after attending Sunday mass, she eagerly goes straight to KMU every weekend. She has also started extending the invite to her daughter, so that they can volunteer together.
“Every week, I’m excited to come here. When you volunteer, you don’t get any money, but you get something greater in return.”
Lea – The Courageous Self-starter
Growing up in Tacloban, Lea witnessed how her parents were very active in charity work; her father showed her the power of helping and inspiring others through simple acts of kindness. Wanting to experience what her father has taught her, she decided to look for volunteer opportunities, and eventually found U! Happy Events via iVolunteer Philippines.
Later on, her family moved to Manila when they were forced to close their business in Tacloban because of typhoon Yolanda. She considers this a blessing in disguise, as her father (Leoncio, 65) had to retire early. And since then, they started volunteering together in Tzu Chi Temple in Quezon City, which has become their bonding activity as a family. She also volunteered for Gawad Kalinga’s Bayani Challenge in Aklan, then eventually learned about KMU in 2015.
“I want to inspire others to also volunteer. When my friends see me volunteering, they become curious about what I do, and they ask if they can tag along and volunteer with me.”
Grace – The Inspiring Young Professional
Grace started volunteering when she was in college through different student organizations. Now that she is already working, she wanted to continue volunteering but didn’t know how to start, until a friend suggested the website of iVolunteer Philippines. Since her first volunteer experience, she made sure that she didn’t miss any new opportunities, and has joined several other activities, including those by Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid (2KK) and Citizen’s Disaster Response Center (CDRC), before finding KMU. It was actually by accident that she reached KMU; she was volunteering in CDRC and a fellow volunteer invited her to tag along and visit the neighboring organization, KMU, right after their activity. After that, she has been regularly volunteering in KMU, making volunteering a routine she gets excited about.
“Volunteering is my way of re-energizing myself from the stress at work. When one volunteers, one gets to appreciate the simple things in life much better.”
Through getting to know the different stories of their co-volunteers, not only friendships were formed among Lea, Grace, and Malou, but a renewed spirit of service. Up until today, they still continue to volunteer at KMU, looking forward to each activity and all the new insights and learning they will discover.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Get to know different people and their inspiring stories through volunteer work. Visit Mang Urot’s soup Kitchen in Quezon Avenue for a unique and fulfilling weekend adventure.
Karinderia ni Mang-Urot is a soup kitchen along Quezon Avenue spearheaded and founded by father and daughter Benjie & Bridgette Abad. It runs every Fridays to Sundays from 7:00 PM -8:30 PM.
iVolunteer Philippines 