Filipino Lady Packs Food Priced at ¢1 So Poor Students Can Eat

• A Filipino lady discovered that some students don’t have enough money to buy food when they go to school.
• In an effort to help, she decided to open a small food store with affordable snacks.
• Amazingly, you can buy a sweet treat for as low as Php 1!

Sometimes it’s the little things that truly count. An old Filipino lady noticed that some students don’t have enough money to buy food when they go to school. In an effort to help the schoolchildren, she decided to open a small store selling everything from a tasty snack to a full meal. Amazingly, almost everything in her little shop costs only US¢1!

Nanay Mel is the owner of Nanay Mel’s Sidewalk Carinderia in Meycauayan, Bulacan in the Philippines. The elderly lady decided to open her food store to accommodate poor students and she began selling food for as low as Php 5.

Learn more about Nanay Mel’s story:

There is a lot to choose from when you visit Nanay Mel’s store. In addition to various Filipino favorites like kare-kare, menudo, and tinolang manok, she also offers fried rice in a cup for only Php 5 (US ¢10). It’s easy to get a satisfying meal for as low as ¢2 in her carinderia.

Amazingly, Nanay Mel also has several snacks that are even more affordable. You can purchase fish balls, cheese sticks, kikiam, and other popular street foods for as low as Php 1 each.

The fishballs at Nanay Mel’s are only for Php 1 each

Not surprisingly, Nanay Mel’s store is popular not just with students but also with young employees who want to save their money. Her constant customers could range from a young student wanting to get a sweet treat to a worker hoping to get a full and satisfying meal for only Php 20. Needless to say, Nanay Mel is helping more than just students with her carinderia.

It’s an impressive effort indeed and people are praising Nanay Mel for being a savior for students. Hopefully, there will be more stores like Nanay Mel’s around the world.