MANDALUYONG CTY -- Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard "Dick" Gordon announced that PRC Hot Meals on Wheels already provided ready-to-eat meals to 31, 824 individuals since the beginning of Typhoon Odette preparations.

The food truck was able to distribute hot meals at the evacuation centers in Ormoc, Capiz, Sorsogon, Surigao del Sur, Northern Samar, Southern Leyte, Biliran, davao de Oro, Agusan del Norte, Lapu-lapu City, Cebu-Bogo, Bohol, Eastern Samar, Iloilo, Negros, Misamis Oriental, Gingoong, Western Samar, Aklan, Masbate, Boracay, Pasi, Palawan, and Guimaras.

“Ang pagkain ay ang isa sa mga unang ibinabahagi ng Red Cross sa mga naapektuhan ng bagyo. dahil ilalapit na namin sa kanila ang pagkain at hindi na nila kailangan lutuin ito. Sinisigurado ng Red Cross na ang lahat ng ipinapakain sa aming mga food trucks ay masustansya at ligtas para sa lahat.

To date, PRC has a total of 28 food trucks, stationed in key-strategic areas nationwide to hasten relief operations in times of disaster. The Hot Meals on Wheels program first started in 2005, through the vision and initiative of Sen. Dick Gordon to provide food to the most vulnerable in times of disaster, calamity, and conflict.

The food truck plays a vital role in PRC’s emergency response thru the delivery of hot meals in evacuation centers and at the center of disaster operations. Each food truck is equipped with industrial-dsize burners, steamers, and other cooking equipment.

The fleet of Hot Meals On Wheels is just one of the developments seen as Gordon leads the Philippine Red Cross modernization program. (Philippine Red Cross)