Cynthia Ramos, a research assistant in the lab of Geoffrey Wahl, saw her hometown of Pateros, a municipality in the Philippines, struggling with hunger in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and started a bakery to help. She set up a GoFundMe account and “Project Bread for Life.”

In early July, 2,260 bread rolls were distributed to 113 needy families, thanks to her efforts and the outpouring of support she received. Donations allowed her one-oven, makeshift bakery in the Philippines to continue to produce this same volume of food for the succeeding days. To date, 11,000 bread rolls have been distributed. In the next two weeks, 20,000 additional bread rolls will feed families in Pateros and neighboring communities.