Celebrating volunteerism through One Good Deed Day

A few years ago, on his birthday, Gerry Olayta decided to do something different. “I asked my group, puwede ba tayong maghanap ng isang community that I could celebrate [with.] So one weekend, I went with my family, my staff in the office, and pumunta kami sa isang Aeta community. We had prepared the usual children’s party [for the community] with a maskot, may palaro, may cake, and all the elements of a birthday party.” Gerry says that after hosting a party for the Aeta community, the response from those closest to him was perhaps his real birthday gift. “Ang feedback ng mga kasamahan ko sa office ay parang ang sarap nung feeling.”

This was the spark that ignited Gerry to dream up and push for One Good Deed Day, an employee-driven event that pulls together volunteers from across San Miguel Corporation all over Northern and Central Luzon to do an act of kindness in their different communities. OGDD is a one-day annual event that’s all about giving back. “It’s a program [where we] simultaneously do [different acts of outreach],” says Gerry. One Good Deed Day, simply put, is a celebrate of volunteerism.

OGDD is an expression of malasakit. [It’s] malasakit to the community. Although we do it in the community, more so I think yung malasakit mo rin sa kompanya. You share your blessings. You share what you receive from the company. This is all an expression of how blessed we are and [us] sharing it back to the community. Gerry Olayta, Human Resources Manager, San Miguel Pure Foods

“We launched One Good Deed Day last year in seven areas: Pangasinan, Isabela, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac. Over 320 employee-volunteers showed up and then around 600-plus beneficiaries,” says Gerry. “Simultaneously in seven areas, on the morning of 11 August, all 320-plus employees were doing a good deed.” According to Gerry, employees first identify the beneficiaries they want to help in their respective communities and from there, figure out what kind of outreach they can do based on the skills and talents employees can provide. “One Good Deed Day is a talent-based outreach program so ibig sabihin kung ikaw marunong kang kumanta, ang role mo sa outreach program na ‘yon ay tuturuan mo yung mga bata kumanta. So you share your talent.” It’s a day of varied activities conceptualized and organized by employee-volunteers who not only want to share their time and money, but their talents as well.

“OGDD is one-hundred percent funded by employee contributions,” says Gerry. “Last year we were able to raise around P400,000 only. This year we’ve been able to raise almost P600,000 already.” According to Gerry, it’s more than enough proof of the impact and success of last year’s launch. “That’s an indication that [the employee-volunteers] liked the program, that more people are joining… We want to share the blessings that we have. It's not just about giving money, but sharing our time.”

The spirit of OGDD extends beyond the organized events. Employees who couldn't join the organized events did their own version of outreach and charity. “For example, one employee couldn’t join because he was in class so what he did was he bought food before going to school he went to a police station and shared that food with the policemen. Another had [family obligations] so ginawa niya bago yung activities niya with his family, pumunta siya sa Red Cross and nag-donate siya ng blood. If you can't join during the organized OGDD activity, puwede ka pa rin naman gumawa ng one good deed”

Gerry who wanted OGDD to be a day San Miguel employees looked forward to in the same way they look forward to national holidays. “When you’re an employee you look forward to holidays, ganun did yung concept namin. [We wanted to put OGDD] sa calendar ng activities namin so that we can plan and anticipate, and look forward to that day. It’s a special day where employees will do one good deed.

The success of last year’s launch and the excitement for Year 2 is a point of pride for Gerry, who has spent years thinking of ways to get SMC employees more engaged with their communities. “We launched the Feed-a-Child Challenge a few years ago pero hindi ganun ka dami nagpa-participate. We really want to involve the employees, we want them to be engaged and that’s part of my job as an HR practitioner, I want everybody to participate in our programs. I think we like that [the OGDD events] are all simultaneous [so that] you feel you’re one with them in doing good.”

“OGDD is an expression of malasakit,” says Gerry. “[It’s] malasakit to the community. Although we do it in the community, more so I think yung malasakit mo rin sa kompanya. You share your blessings. You share what you receive from the company. This is all an expression of how blessed we are and [us] sharing it back to the community.” What’s special about One Good Deed Day is that it's both an expression of importance of financial contributions as well as the physical act of being with the beneficiaries. Yes, it may demand more than the regular donation but the experience of participating in OGDD can not be measured in money alone. “The contribution is done through salary deduction. [Employees] can pledge any amount but they should be willing to spend time not just money,” says Gerry. “It’s more important that you are with the community rather than just sending money. It’s beyond monetary fulfilment. You can’t quantify the happiness you feel doing something good with the community.

The impact OGDD has on the communities and the beneficiaries, as Gerry shares, isn’t just immediately felt but deeply personal as well. “I joined the Tarlac OGDD and the beneficiaries we had there were the indigenous people so dun palang maa-appreciate mo na kaagad na gusto nila yung program kasi sila mismo sobra yung pagpapasalamat, yung feeling ba na kakantahan ka pa nila, nag-compose pa sila ng song para lang ma-express how thankful they are.”

It’s amazing that it took a birthday party to get started. Yet, Gerry says that it was maybe the only way it could have happened. “Before I present any program to ManCom, I make it a point to experience it myself. That’s the key in any program: organizers need to experience it themselves first,” says Gerry. OGDD is the perfect example of Gerry’s self-expression as a community leader and organizer. The work he’s done isn’t just a responsibility or a blessing but something that has spread out to hundreds of San Miguel employees. “In anything where you find meaning, you want to share it.”