MANILA, Philippines—Last June 1, the country celebrated Alaska World Milk Day for the second time. Spearheaded by the Philippines’ leading milk company Alaska Milk Corporation, the celebration fulfilled its promise to be bigger and better than the fete last year, which gathered more than 3,000 participants in its fun run and raised the same number of milk products for the feeding program of Children’s Hour and its partner organizations.
This year, Alaska World Milk Day went nationwide with a simultaneous milk-drinking activity in Baguio, Cebu, Davao and Metro Manila at 7:30 a.m., projected to gather thousands of participants. There were also simultaneous fitness classes in the three provinces to encourage individuals and families to start a morning health and fitness regimen: Zumba + power breakfast of Alaska powdered milk paired with “champorado” drizzled with Alaska Evaporated Milk, pan de sal filled with Alaska Condensed milk, and cereals with Alaska Fresh Milk. The power breakfasts were given free to participants at the event area as part of the “Alaska Gatas for Breakfast” campaign, which was held for the first time this year. The campaign aimed to get everyone to start the day right with a nutritious breakfast.
This effort to foster a healthy consciousness among individuals and families—through the combination of exercise and proper nutrition—is Alaska’s way in helping the government fight against the increasing number of obese children and adults in the country. According to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Science and Technology—Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), obesity is one of the most prevalent nutritional problems of Filipino children and adults. At least 16 million Filipinos 20 years old and above, and two out of 10 children are overweight.
In Manila, the same Alaska power breakfast was given to the participants of the Alaska Family charity run that will benefit Children’s Hour, a fundraising organization that encourages individuals and companies to donate at least one hour worth of their earnings for programs dedicated to making the lives of disadvantaged children better.
The Alaska Family Run was held at the Bonifacio Global City. For every participant, Alaska donated milk products to the organization for its feeding program.
The Alaska World Milk Day celebration is part of Alaska’s continuous advocacy toward health and nutrition, particularly its “Nutrition. Action. Champion” campaign. For more information, log on to www.alaskaworldmilkday.com and like www.facebook.com/WorldMilkDayPH.