How you can help the victims of super typhoon Yolanda / Haiyan

Just in case you guys were worried about me, seeing all the news about how typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) has devastated the Philippines and all, we are all fine.  We braced ourselves for the storm of the year, only to experience just cloudy skies, moderate rainfall, and a little wind.

Yes, Cagayan de Oro was spared this time (and I appreciated the long weekend, I needed that).  Others, however, were not so lucky…and later on in this blog I will tell you how you can help them.

I’ve read that the death toll from super typhoon Yolanda / Haiyan could reach 10,000.  That’s a staggering statistic.  There are shocking photos all over the internet of jaw-dropping devastation.  Here are just a few of them (Note: none of these photos are mine.  I got them from Google)

6 great items that relatives abroad can send through balikbayan boxes

If you are like most Pinoys who have relatives abroad, you likely receive a Balikbayan box full of goodies around the end of this year or the beginning of next year.  My family is one of these families, as my sisters in law are based in the US and my mom is also staying in the US for about six months.

While we appreciate their generosity, and much of the stuff that they send is indeed good, there is a dark side: this usually means that we get mountains of candies, chocolates, chips, and other junk food and overly processed products that have lost much of their nutritive value.  As a father who is into health and wellness, I usually cringe when the balikbayan boxes arrive.  Even if you don’t have the same views as I do, you’d probably notice that your children will binge on these newly arrived sweets and often will get sick as a result.  Not good at all.

I think there’s a better way: ask your relatives to send you alternatives.  This is also an opportunity to snag great finds for you and your family, finds that are either not available here or are expensive.  Allow me to help you by listing down six great items that relatives abroad can send through their Balikbayan boxes.  Nearly all of these are food-related, as you shall see.  Let’s begin.