150K preschoolers in C. Visayas avail of gov’t feeding services

General

CEBU CITY: About 150,637 preschoolers in Central Visayas have benefited from the ongoing Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). These children are enrolled in 3,895 child development centers or day care centers and 336 supervised neighborhood play centers across the region, Shalaine Marie Lucero, DSWD 7 (Central Visayas) director, said Thursday. She said the kids are served hot meals and milk to supplement the three-meal-a-day food consumption, covering 14 cycles during Academic Year 2024-2025. Lucero said feeding the children helps address the incidence of malnutrition among preschoolers. She said the activity encourages parents to look forward to sending their children to day care centers while learning and nourishing them at the same time. 'Addressing hunger and malnutrition remains the priority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration,' Lucero said. DSWD aims to increase the nutritional status of the beneficiaries by giving them a wi de variety of nutritious and healthy meal options, the agency's program focal person Ma. Romilene C. Padilla said. Source: Philippines News Agency