Before the grocery bags were packed, before the queues formed in Satwa and Karama, there was a Facebook page — and a woman who had done this all before.
Donna Cepe, the personality behind the Sabi ni Donna page, began distributing grocery packages to displaced Filipino workers on March 31, starting in Satwa and Jaffiliya. A second run followed on April 2, back in Satwa. By the third day, she had shifted to the Karama area — a deliberate choice so that recipients would not have to travel far. Burjuman is next on her list.
The numbers have grown steadily. A total of 130 beneficiaries have received assistance across the distributions — 105 over the first two days in Satwa, 55 in Karama and Burjuman combined, and 40 in the most recent run.
The initiative did not begin with a formal plan. Messages started coming into her page from Filipinos whose livelihoods had been upended by the ongoing US-Iran conflict, and Cepe responded the way she knew how.
“Nagcmula sa page ko at namili na lang ulit ako groceries katulad sa pandemic para dun sa mga nagmsg at hiningan ko na lng proof of evidence na wala na nga sila work,” she said.
Those seeking assistance were asked to show proof that they had indeed lost their work — a simple safeguard to make sure the groceries reached those who genuinely needed them.
The effort quickly drew others in. Cesar Parocco reached out to initiate a pledge drive for additional groceries, which Cepe folded into her existing distributions. From there, friends and community members who had seen the posts began pledging supplies one after another.
“Then marami nakakita sa page ko na mga friends at taga community at marami na sunod sunod nagpledge din ng groceries sa mga kabayan natin na nawala work at income,” she said.
When asked why she does it, Cepe did not point to any organization or advocacy. She pointed to memory — and to personal experience.
“Inulit ko lang ang kabutihang-loob na ginawa ko noong panahon ng pandemic — tumulong sa mga kapwa Filipinong nahirapan dahil sa sitwasyon. Alam ko rin ang pakiramdam ng nahihirapan at wala…”
Cepe closed with a shoutout to those who had made the distributions possible: “Shout out sa mga hero friends natin na nagpledge din ng groceries.”
Updates on the next distribution at Burjuman, along with schedules and venues, are being posted on the Sabi ni Donna Facebook page.
