Photos by Bella Manzano
“Rescue. Relish. Repeat.”
This is one of the slogans printed on a pouch being sold at MINT College’s first Christmas Market, along with other gift goodies. The booth was opened last December 1 and would run until December 30. It has a variety of choices, such as food, clothing, bags, and other items brought in by sellers.
The MINT Christmas Market is a fundraising initiative of the school through the partnership with Megaworld Lifestyle Malls. It is located at the second floor of the Venice Grand Canal Mall at McKinley Hill, Taguig.
Its beneficiary is the MBY Pet Rescue and Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization dedicated in rescuing and taking care of stray cats and dogs. The headquarter of the animal shelter is at Morong, Rizal. This would be the second time that MINT would help the said organization.
Last October, MINT had successfully raised funds for MBY through their booth during the school’s Halloween party. The school managed to raise the amount of P26,500 to help MBY.
The effort was led by MINT Pet Project, the school’s humanitarian organization. The people behind the advocate organization are MINT professors Cecille Kiamzon, Juno Parungao, and Creative Director Teks Pabuayon.
They aim to encourage not only the pet lovers and owners at MINT to practice responsible ownership, but also to raise awareness, especially among students, about the rampant neglect and abuse being committed against cats and dogs and how to protect them from it.
Through this project, every P100 donation made, the person would receive either a cat- or a dog-shaped ornament made from scrap fabric. These colorful mementos would serve as a reminder to every donor who stopped by and reached out to Pet Project’s call for action. W