Photos: Community pantries spread in Philippines as COVID-19 restrictions bite

Manila: Community-run stalls offering free food to the needy have multiplied across the Philippines, with many struggling to feed their families as coronavirus restrictions bite and government help falls short.

Street sweeper Juliet Reyes regularly picks up fruit and vegetables from a curbside food pantry in the capital Manila, where a recent lockdown to contain a surge in infections threw hundreds of thousands out of work.

Volunteers pack goods and food packs. | "I'm very thankful. It's a big help for us who are most in need," said Reyes, 41, who supports a family of eight on her meagre daily wage of 200 pesos ($4). "When I go home I will cook what I got today."

Patricia Non (in purple shirt) ignited the nationwide movement this month after parking a bamboo cart stocked with rice, pasta, canned food and vegetables raided from her kitchen beside a busy street.

Safety officials assist people as they wait in line for free food packs. | A handwritten cardboard sign urged passers-by to "Give what you can, take what you need". Within hours the cart was empty and Non issued a plea on Facebook for donations, which went viral.

Volunteers distribute food packs. | As contributions flooded in and a few recipients turned into thousands queueing every day - many lining up as soon as the night-time curfew lifted at 5.00am - Non's trolley expanded into a distribution centre for other pantries.

A volunteer sorts bread rolls. | "Many are in need and I have more than enough for myself at home," Non, 26, said. "It's not a solution to hunger and poverty. But it's a stop-gap measure."

Non's charitable act has inspired others - including police, churches and the Philippine Coast Guard - to start their own pantries across the archipelago.

Photos posted on social media show tables laden with donated food set up on streets, with people wearing masks and clutching reusable shopping bags waiting in line. Some pantries offer free pet food.

A woman holds a piece of wood as she asks other residents to maintain social distancing. | The scenes of community solidarity have fuelled criticism of the government's response to the poor after restrictions imposed to contain the virus devastated the economy and left millions hungry.

Residents queueing up to collect free food packets. | In the latest lockdown of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, which began at the end of March, the national government offered a one-off payment of 1,000 pesos per person, or 4,000 pesos for a family.

So far, only about two-thirds of the aid meant for nearly 23 million people has been distributed.

Non started the "Community Panty" in Maginhawa street by placing food on a makeshift stall for people who need it as many have lost jobs due to quarantine measures set by the government to curb the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The theme "Give what you can, take what you need" has spread to several communities which have placed their own makeshift stalls to support people struggling to make ends meet.