Young Aklanon bankrolls feeding program through barter

By Aila Kate I. Moreno

KALIBO, Aklan — The COVID-19 pandemic might have affected several people’s

living but the compassion of barterista Karyn Reodava to her fellows did not waver one bit

when she decided to put up a feeding program for children through using proceeds from her barter trade.

In a post shared on Aklan Barter Community’s (AkBaCo) Facebook group last May 17, 2201, Reodava, 21, and a third-year civil engineering student, expressed how bartering her personal items helped feed the children in her mother’s hometown in Bakhaw Norte, Kalibo.

According to her post, she started by bartering her smartwatch with grocery items needed in making pansit and sopas to prepare food for the children. Afterward, she

conducted another feeding program to celebrate Mother’s Day by trading

some of her clothes with groceries.

“Helping [is] not always about [the] money, but it is about your compassion and sincerity,” she said.

Reodava revealed in an interview that her motivation in putting up the feeding program is to put a smile on the children’s faces. Besides, she also wants to give back to the community because she was once a little girl who is a regular beneficiary of feeding programs.

“It is priceless seeing the children very excited to receive the food. It is priceless and overwhelming. I can see myself on them when I was a kid. I can feel their sincerity and gratefulness with a simple ‘thank you nang [or] salamat nang,’” she said.

KINDNESS ALWAYS WIN

Due to her inspiring act of kindness, Reodava was hailed as the winner in “My Barter Story,” an online contest by the AkBaCo that aims to gather inspiring barter stories, after garnering the highest Facebook reactions from the members and the group administrators last May 19.

She received grocery, load, apparel, and food packages from the group administrators and various sponsors.

The competition was held in celebration of AkBaCo’s first anniversary. Christy Mae Andrade, the founder of the group, said that they want to know how the barter system changed the lives of their members throughout a year of trading.

“I am grateful that Karyn did a very good job on taking her steps to the next level, and she didn’t hesitate to use AkBaCo as her resource… I hope Karyn will still continue her plans and her genuine act of volunteerism to other people…” Andrade said.

HUMANITARIAN ACTS

Reodava’s initiatives started last year by feeding the homeless persons around Kalibo with some snacks from her food business. She gives them bottled water and face masks every 5 p.m. as well.

She also plans on bartering her items again to conduct another feeding program on her upcoming birthday this August.

She said that this experience made her realize that even “little” help matters as long as people can help in their “own” ways. Because of that she became more dedicated to her passion and goals in life.

“To my fellow youth, just be you are. You can inspire people because you are who you are. There are so many ways [to inspire] people and let us use the power of technology, especially our social media platforms, to spread inspiration, love, kindness, and positivity. Let us all help each other in this time of [the] pandemic,” she said.

(The author is a Communications and Media Studies student of UP Visayas)