Lift-the-Lid

From School in a Cart! to Push Cart Ministries.  

Push Cart Ministries is a non profit organization in the Philippines that focuses on feeding, educating and transforming street children and familes into healthy, educated, and economically stable members of society.  In the past years Max Bloom was one of their main donors, and since his passing an organization that was so important and dear to him is now on the verge of having to close down many of their programs due to lack of funding.  This organization is headed by two extraordinarily amazing men, with even more humbleness about all of the work they do.   Nonie Samonte and Alfredo Olavidez.  

The number chosen for the goal is just a number.  Once everyone can see what this organization has accomplished with a small budget, just imagine what can be done if they have proper funding!  Especially considering the social and business network that Max built over all the years let's crush this goal.  Both in honor of Max, and to let an organization that is doing such amazing work in the world flourish.  

100% of the donations received will go from Lift the Lid, a tax deductible charity to the Push Cart Ministries who's center is located in Cubao, an area of Manila in the Philippines.  You can find Push Cart's activities page here, where they post everything that is going on in the center!  You can also find a much more detailed back story of every aspect of the organization and every person involved.   http://www.pccmi.net Additionally you can find their youtube channel here. 

 As Max was a large donor to this organization, since Max's passing funding has been an issue.  Now a lot of their programs are in danger of not being able to continue.   This is especially concerning to Nonie and Alfredo as some of the kids that have been in the program for years are now just getting set to finish high school in the next few years and are looking to attend college.  Not to mention the feeding program, band, bakery and all the other programs and aspects that make Push Cart Ministries so special.  Your donations will allow them to continue with their ongoing projects, while also allowing them to expand.  This will result in a much greater impact with more kids fed, not only their bellies but their minds, hearts and souls as well.  

School in a Cart
It all started as "School in a Cart."  It was literally a cart that would be moved around to different places were kids would come and learn and be fed.  Whether it was on a street corner or in the park that they play.  No fees were ever required and free lunches were provided.  Reading, writing and other subjects were covered.  A lot of these children and families were street children and families.  Living on the street in whatever makeshift structures they could.     
From that cart that Nonie would push around the city attracting a small crowd at first they now have an actual center in Cubao where they not only feed 37 children Monday through Friday, but also on Saturdays sometimes over 50 children drop by the center for lunch.   The center is a safe spot for these kids.  A lot of them are street dwellers with either absent parents or very rough home lives.  The center is a place where they can go and not only be safe, but be fed, loved, and cultivated.  The center also sponsors them in going to school.  Providing all fees along with supplies and uniforms.
Additionally, they have even formed a band that has played at numerous malls and churches.  Then just this year Nonie became a certified bread and pastries baker, and then in turn certified and trained the parents and the older children in order to bring some sort of livliehood in into their lives.  An idea originally spawned by Max, and he suggested the names "Street Kitchen" or "Kuya's Kitchen" for the bake shop.  Needless to say a lot of change have occurred and countless lives affected and even saved from the beginnings of a mobile cart.  More details of these programs later, but first let's talk a little bit about these three men.  Max, Nonie and Alfredo.    

Max Bloom
If anyone ever met Max it wouldn't take long to realize he was such a big kid at heart.  Never losing the enjoyment of playing and being silly.  Max at times was one of the silliest men I've ever met, with a heart just as big.  Perhaps that was part of the reason he connected with the kids so deeply and easily.  As soon as he would walk into the center the kids would run up to him hugging his legs.  He would pick one of them up over his head and spin them around.  The other kids saying "ako ako ako!" (Me, me, me!) wanting to be next.  Just being silly and fun with them.  An exchange of unconditional love between two humans from such different walks of life.  
He had been working with them for over ten years, and more so recently before his passing.   Max even attended the center just the day before he passed where the kids baked a cake and sang a birthday song for him.  
Max donated funds for school supplies, uniforms , shoes and other needed items at the beginning of every school year along with the mid school terms.  
  He started getting involved with the ministry in 2010 donating sizeable  amounts and visiting the children and playing with them.  Some of the original kids are now teenagers, and even now they remember Max's gesture and open heart way back. 
  Early in 2018 his donations became more regular and more substantial that it even helped in the expansion of the center.  The children were given better meals and more school needs provided.  Their feeding program also was able to expand.  As Max was one of the main contributors for this center, after his passing funding has been limited, and while Nonie and Alfredo are no strangers to making do with with they can a lot of things are in jeopardy.  

Nonie Samonte
Nonie is one of the most selfless people I have ever met and has been working with street kids and dwellers since 2006.  In 2008 he even donated part of his kidney to Alfredo's pastor brother-in-law in the USA.  With pure unconditional love and from the bottom of his heart not expecting nor accepting anything in return. 

Starting the center in the cart.  Rain or shine Nonie would be there.  As time went on and the center in Cubao opened Nonie would wake up at his room there at 4:00am or even earlier to go to the market to get food in order to cook the kids their breakfast and the lunch that they would be taking to school.   As mentioned they are now feeding and sending 37 kids to school.  Essentially for many of these kids he serves as the parent figure a lot of them are lacking.  Showing them love but also showing them discipline.  Encouraging them.  Not just feeding them and sending them to school but supporting them and nurturing them.  37 kids.  From all different types of backgrounds, with many trials and tribulations over the years including a death of one of the kids, who was murdered while outside of the center on the street. 

Using whatever resources he has, big or small.  He makes do.  Before they had a proper stove, he would use wood as fuel to cook their food.  Always making sure they have food in their stomachs.  Always making sure they have food in their minds and souls as well.  Teaching them skills.  Making bracelets to sell in order to raise money.  Teaching them to make Christmas Lanterns for the holidays to raise money.  Always having  creative teaching methods to keep the kids excited and engaged.  For example he would have a puppet theater to get his point across.

Alfredo Olavidez
Alfredo has just turned 76 this month!  A belated happy birthday to this wonderful man. 
Alfredo has been involved with the street children and families for 21 years now.  Serving with Nonie since 2006 in various organizations dedicated towards street children and families.   In 2011 they started a feeding ministry on the 20th ave.  However it was also in 2011 Alfredo had a Transurethral Resection of the Prostate and in the same year they found cancer cells.   As a show of his strength and dedication to his mission it didn't take him long to recover and get back to his service.  After he recuperated in 2013 he even briefly took over the on the street duties from Nonie, as Nonie stepped away to assist in a friend's business.  
Since they moved to their center in 2014 Alfredo has been a steady pillar of the center.  Radiating love and kindness just be his  presence.  Helping these children and families with all of his heart.

The Center
This is where everything happens!   Where the band practices, where the baking occurs, where the kids come before school to pick up their supplies.  Take a shower, put on their uniforms,  and eat breakfast.  Picking up their lunch they take with them to school as well.  It is  where they drop their things off after school for some quick support and a snack.  Where the Christmas programs, birthdays, and other holiday celebrations occur.    Since it first opened as the center a lot of changes have happened!  A beautiful mural was painted by the kids.  Ovens installed for the bakery.  Space set up for the band.  However, it also endured its share of hardships as well.  As typhoons and flooding are such a common occurrence in the Philippines during one of the storms a tree fell on and caved in the roof with some flooding in the center.  Of course in Filipino style Nonie took advantage of the flood with the kids to play in the rain!  Then later finding a saw to cut away the tree and install a new roof. 

The Kids
My first visit to the center in 2010 which was in a different location at that time was a very eye opening experience.  As soon as you walk in the kids are coming up to you with this big smile on their face.  "Hi Hi Hi, what's your name??"  Not speaking the best english but making sure to use every bit they know.  "Where are you from?"  Hugging your legs showing their love and grasping for yours, you are instantly surrounded.  Wanting to play, wanting to have fun.  Prior to this most of my experience with children was in the United States with privileged first world kids.  Then here I was in the Philippines where a lot of these kids were essentially homeless.  "Squatting" wherever they could with their family, if they had one.  Often going without food.  Often incurring lots of health issues from malnutrition and poor hygienic conditions.  Dealing with the slums in a congested chaotic city of almost 20 million people.  Yet here they were, with love in their hearts and a big smile on their face. 


Education
Education is a major focus point of Push Cart.  One of the children Stephano recently finished number 7 in his class and Felly number 9.   As some of the children have been with the center for many years they are now able to graduate high school with high marks.  Something that would have been very unlikely to happen without the center.  Every year Max and other donors would help provide money for uniforms, backpacks, shoes, etc. 

The Band
The band, wow!  A full on band consisting of drums, guitars, keyboard, singers.  In such a short time they went from not having any musical experience at all to playing in Churches, playing in Malls, and playing concerts in their neighborhoods.  The idea was conceived after one of the kids in the center fell out of a jeepney (public transportation vehicle in the Philippines) and hit his head on the ground.   Luckily no serious damage was caused but it was a wake up call to try and keep the kids more involved and off the streets.  Teaching them to play musical instruments seemed like a great idea!
Having a band director help them with this all, but when he was absent, guess who steps in.  Nonie! 

They even were able to record in a recording studio, can you imagine the excitement!?   Check out the song overlayed with photographs of them performing in the a lot of the children's home neighbordhood. 




Bake Shop
After Max's passing Nonie was able to attend a month long Baking school and begin one of Max's dreams.  However of course he still made sure to sneak back to the center when he knew the kids would be returning from school!  Turning the center into a bakeshop of sorts.  Teaching the kids and the parents how to make cakes and pastries!  
Mother's of the kids were excited to learn from Nonie!  Being able to save a bit from their earnings of the baking.  Additionally, some of the kids perfected cupcakes!  And started making some income selling them to their classmates at school.  
They have had large orders of over 1,000 cakes that they are in the process of fulfilling!  Additionally they will be opening a stall in the Public market in Cubao.  They are currently looking to buy a bigger oven in order to fulfill all the needs for their items.  

Christmas Programs
Christmas like most of the world is a very celebrated holiday in the Philippines.  Every year the center would make sure to have a big celebration.  For the kids, for the families, for everyone!  This was also a big event that Max supported and they distrubted as many as 450 Christmas gifts.


What an organization!
As you can see here, what has been created is something special.   From a small mobile cart to an organization with so many different beautiful aspects and synergistic programs.   Nonie and Alfredo just want the ability to continue to serve these children.  And every little bit will help them do this in such amazing ways. 

Below are just a few more pictures, but pleas check out their website http://pccmi.net and youtube channel  to see much much more! The organization does a great job of keeping updates on what's going on in the center, and will continue to do so throughout this campaign!