Nearing the first monthsary of the community pantry movement, originator Ana Patricia "Patreng" Non said Tuesday fresh death and rape threats left her feeling tired and overwhelmed.
Non said the threats, along with the nightly incidence of her number being used to prank order from delivery service foodpanda, has brought her to tears. She said she couldn't bring herself to the pantry or face media.
"Truth is umiyak ako kahapon sa pagod, overwhelmed ako," she said.
"Di ako makalabas kahapon kasi wala naman akong sasakyan at lalo na wala naman akong security. Hindi ko alam kung worth it ba lumabas para sa photo ops pero kapalit yung safety ko," she added.
Non said she would take a break from doing media interviews and photo opportunities to focus more on pantry operations and her personal well-being.
"Reminder lang din na simpleng mamamayan lang po ako. Minsan jologs minsan jejemon. Di politician. At lalong di artista. Focus na lang po tayo sa mga pumipila sa pantry sila naman po ang mahalaga dito. #MulaSaMasaTungoSaMasa," she said.
Apart from her, Non said friends and family who stepped in to help manage the pantry have also been feeling tired and overwhelmed. None of them expected the responsibilities to grow so much as they struggled to build a centralized network that helps ensure pantries all over the country remained inspired and sustainable.
"Nung sinimulan ko ang Community Pantry hindi ko inexpect na maging ganito sya kalaki. At masaya ako kasi dumami talaga ang pantries, na build yung communities natin at may solidarity network na ang cities," she said.
"Pero syempre sa paglawak dumami din yung responsibilities at dahil di ko na kaya mag-isa, tumulong na ang pamilya at mga kaibigan ko," she added.
To address the chaos in queries, Non appealed to the public to go to the Community Pantry PH page and read the full frequently asked questions (FAQs) they made.
She also asked for more patience and a gentler approach when asking questions, in consideration of tired volunteers in charge of answering. "Sana po maging patient po tayo at mag-follow ng instructions. Community effort po eto," she said.
