As the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan extended its global reach, the members of Cochrane’s Filipino community have decided to reach right back.
A local Filipino organization — dubbed Pinoy’s Cochrane — has come together to support their homeland. Last week the group sent off 10 boxes of groceries and clothing to the Philippines. This weekend, the group will host a fundraising dessert night to help the victims of the typhoon.
The benefit is set to run Nov. 30 at the Cochrane Alliance Church. The evening will kick off at 7 p.m. and run until 9 p.m.
“Our aim is just to help,” said Michael Bautista, president of the local organization. “The typhoon was bad. We felt that we needed to help in our own simple way.”
Bautista said that none of the members of the organization were personally affected by the devastation left in the wake of the typhoon, which landed in Tacloban, central Philippines.
More than 5,000 were killed by the massive storm and thousands of people are still believed to be missing.
“We’re not doing this for any individual person — we’re doing this to help the Philippines in general,” said Bautista.
The fundraising benefit, which is sponsored by the local Tim Hortons and McDonald’s, will offer a selection of desserts, along with coffee, hot chocolate and juice.
In addition to entertainment, Bautista said images of the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan — known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines — will be presented on the venues big screen.
All the proceeds from the evening will be donated, through the Canadian Red Cross, to typhoon relief. The Red Cross is working with the Canadian government on a donation-matching program for this particular project.
“We need to help these people,” said Bautista. “Every single penny donated will be so helpful in the Philippines.”
Those who can’t make the dessert night will still be able to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan by donating to the Red Cross — just be sure to earmark the donation as Typhoon Haiyan.
