Cebu City – The “Pick and Pay” project of the Barangay Subangdaku Nutrition Committee and the Mandaue City Nutrition Committee was awarded as one of the Good Nutrition Projects in the region during the Grand Nutrition Awards 2013 held on 02 August 2013 at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel, Cebu City. Present to receive the award was Barangay Captain Ernie N. Manatad of Barangay Subangdako and City Nutrition Action Officer, Dr. Edna R. Seno.

Proving that gardening is possible in urban settings, the Barangay Subangdaku Nutrition Committee with the help of the Mandaue City Nutrition Committee, successfully implemented the Pick & Pay Project last year. TelOf, the owner of the lot, allowed the setting-up of the gardens where residents of the barangay, families of TB Patients and barangay workers could cultivate gardens with seedlings provided by the City Agriculture Office. With 40 participant-gardeners, the project aims to address the problem of adequate space for vegetable garden, to have an organic source of fresh vegetables for daily home consumption. Income from the produce would be kept by the ones cultivating the gardens. It serves as model farm for the rest of the barangays in Mandaue City. To improve the produce of the gardens, a seminar on composting and on how to cultivate, care and protect the garden from pests was done.