Why Filipino Food Matters in Fight Against COVID-19

The fight against COVID-19 includes at least one food retailer recognizing the diversity of medical frontline workers, and acting accordingly.

Island Pacific, a Walnut, California-based supermarket chain dedicated to promoting Filipino food and seafood to the rest of the world, says that during the ongoing COVID surge — one that has hit the retailer’s home state especially hard — it has delivered Filipino food to Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park ER Unit and St. John's Health Center Santa Monica ICU Department. Island Pacific operates 16 locations in California and Las Vegas.

Island Pacific says it learned that medical staffs that worked the nightshifts do not have access to the hospital cafeteria and, as such, Island Pacific took the initiative to provide Filipino food like lumpia, pancit and its Philhouse Barbeque. Popular Filipino snacks like Muhlach Ensymada, Chippy and Chiz Curls were also delivered to medical frontline workers.

A recent study from National Nurses United revealed a disparity of COVID-19 deaths, which showed that a third of nurses who have died from COVID are Filipino even though Filipino nurses make up just 4% of the nursing population nationwide. With so many Filipino nurses contracting COVID, Island Pacific said it showed its gratitude by catering Filipino food to its medical frontliners who risk their lives to save many others.

One of the biggest challenges those frontline have, according to Filipino American ICU nurse Bonifacio "Bones" Deoso Jr., is getting thrown into the role of being the only connection between families and their loved ones, when the only thing in their mind is the fear of dying and dying alone. "It's extremely emotionally draining doing your best to assure both parties (who can't be allowed to spend time together) that everything in your power is being done to try and achieve the best outcomes for your patients, whether it is surviving or, worse, dying in the most comfortable, pain-free way possible,” Deoso said.

Many frontline workers have spent more time with their patients than their own families these nine months. "Food is at the center of our limited get-togethers during breaks from patient care,” Deoso said. “Over food, we catch up on regular stuff outside of work (which isn't a lot), air out each other's grievances, decompress from the overwhelming stress in this seemingly unwinnable fight against COVID."

Since the pandemic began in March last year, Island Pacific locations immediately gave shopping priorities to all medical frontline workers and senior citizens during the first hour that the store opens.