Setting Up of Donation Program Facilities (DPF) at Food and Non-Food Insecure Communities to Reduce Wastage in the Establishments

Food and non-food donation is a considerable attempt to address wastage, hunger and poverty. In the Philippines, donation activities are already steered, yet not all donors consider the entirety of the impoverished population. The establishment of donation program facilities is in congruence with the United Nation’s Sustainability Strategy and anchored on the Philippine National Development Plan 2023-2028 for deep economic and social transformation to reinvigorate job creation and accelerate poverty reduction which is embedded on “Ambisyon Natin by 2040 that describes the kind of life that people want to live, and how the country will be by 2040. To establish a centralized food and non-food donation program facility in every city and municipality, a research project composed initially of five (5) studies was conducted on model cities in the National Capital Region (NCR). Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard and Waste Audit revealed considerable number of wastes generated in the establishments. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) forecasted the intention to participate in the program as impacted by behavior toward the probability of the outcome acknowledging the risks and rewards. The Learning Framework disclosed the willingness of the communities to participate in the program as determined by the capabilities, perceived benefits and intentions. The cost-benefit analysis proved that the benefits exceeded the costs in setting up the facility. The institutional readiness on the areas of people; system; technology & infrastructure; and process indicated the ability to respond to changes and adapt to new ways to deliver better services and implement strong processes with the right people and the needed infrastructure. The combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was employed. The data gathering was conducted on the model cities where survey questionnaires and interview guide questions were distributed among respondents and participants respectively. The results and inferences of the study were subjected to appropriate statistical tools for precise data analysis. Keywords: donation program, reduction of food and non-food wastes, sustainability strategy, social transformation