PBSA aids isolated Filipino families in High River, Okotoks

Even in a foreign land, Filipino communities are here supporting one another especially in this time of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

True to this, the Philippine Business Society of Alberta (PBSA), an Edmonton-based business organization, went out of its way to deliver groceries to several Filipino families in High River and Okotoks this weekend.

PBSA raised $10,000 worth of food and donations and brought it to the families’ doorsteps with its volunteers observing proper social distancing and wearing their facemasks on May 3. They had 10 vehicles to distribute the goods.

In a report by Global News, the PBSA communications and marketing director for the society, Peter Codizal was quoted as saying on Saturday that they will make sure to have all gloves and sanitizers. All they would do is “put the goods right in front of their house, make sure somebody picks it up, and then leave.”

In the same report, he also said that their organization developed a network of people that they deal with on a regular basis, so they know each other.

“We just want to make sure we can help whoever we can,” he added.

The Cargill meat processing plant, located north of High River, is the site of the largest COVID-19 outbreak in Alberta. Almost 1,000 employees contracted the virus while more than 1,500 cases were linked to the facility. About 70 percent of the Cargill workers are Filipinos.

It was on April 20 when the plant was closed down but it is set to reopen on Monday. However, on Friday, United Food and Commercial Workers Union filed a legal action to stop its reopening, which prompted discussions from Saturday which went on until Sunday evening.