FOOD
SUBMITTED BY EUSEBIO CACAYURAN
Bringing ayuda and bayanihan to the Rockies words :: Lauren Kepkiewicz in collaboration with Jun Cacayuran, Maria Louisa Dela Cruz and Edna Ermita In 2020, the Filipino Organization in the Rocky Mountains (FORM) found itself on the frontlines of a pandemic, responding to the uneven impacts of COVID in the Bow Valley and beyond. The association is guided by ayuda and bayanihan, two values embedded in Filipino culture. Ayuda is to give support and assistance, perhaps in the form of food; bayanihan means to give back and help one’s community without expecting anything in return. FORM began with the intention of supporting community members, building relationships, and celebrating Filipino culture. Volunteer Jun Cacayuran explains, “FORM started because we wanted to introduce our children to their culture.” With the arrival of COVID, FORM rallied to provide community members with culturallyappropriate food hampers and grocery gift cards. This work has been integral to ensuring that those in precarious living and working situations have enough to eat. “During the first phase of COVID we were so scared, but we thought of ayuda and our experiences in the Philippines. We thought, we can adapt ayuda in Canada. We started in March 2020 and received 150 food packs. We shopped for, packed, and distributed them. We went from house to house. We started there,” says Jun. FORM’s work is done for community, by community. They
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build relationships from the ground up—through text and WhatsApp chains, by distributing food to doorsteps, organizing fundraisers to support community members in difficult circumstances, and by personally responding to questions about everything from permanent residency applications to employment issues. “People come to us and we give advice,” explains volunteer Marie Louisa Dela Cruz and then Jun chimes in, “Sometimes we’re consultants, other times we’re marriage counsellors or we help solve a problem with the kids.“ FORM also works with Filipino communities across Alberta with a focus in rural areas that often do not have the same supports as those in urban centres. FORM envisions a province-wide network that shares resources and expertise, particularly during emergencies. This vision of reciprocal support builds on relationships formed and strengthened during COVID. Marie Louisa explains that prior to the pandemic, “We didn’t know Filipino communities in other areas. When we found out that there were, we extended our help and that was the start of the connection.” “It’s in our culture to help,” she adds. “It’s the way we do things and how we connect with people—we start with the Filipino community, and then we go out to connect with others.” Although the past two years have been extremely difficult, armed with ayuda and the bayanihan spirit, FORM has created a network of relationships that have taken root here in the Rocky Mountains based on wellbeing, strength, creativity, and equity.
