The brainchild of FAMAS Secretary Joseph V . Gonzales , the idea of a project for the Filipino seniors in Montreal has been his preoccupation for years . He has been fixated by the concept of a project for the seniors where they will be able to do things that they enjoyed doing back home – like chatting , playing bingo , watching a movie , raffle draws , and enjoying a bowl of hot Filipino soup . He nurtured and kept the idea to himself waiting for the right time and opportunity to make it happen . Until he met Marilis and Rey Padilla of Marché Filipino . Apparently , Marilis and Rey , who are also dealers of The Filipino Channel ( TFC ), donated a TFC box to the previous administration of FAMAS on the condition that it be used in any project for the Filipino seniors in Montreal . Unfortunately , no such project was materialized . The Secretary discussed with Rey and Marilis the project that he had in mind . To his surprise , Rey and Marilis had exactly the same concept in mind . And so Soup-a-Sabado was born .
Soup-a-Sabado was launched on December 16 , 2017 . The launch which was publicised on Facebook , posters and word of mouth was attended by a mix of seniors and non-seniors . Although the project was conceived mainly for seniors , non-seniors were also welcomed . Marilis and Rey prepared delicious chicken sopas and empanadas and brought prizes for the bingo games . Sandra Wong of Dignity contributed gift cards for the raffle . Joseph cooked his very popular arroz caldo . FAMAS Vice President External Romy Remegio prepared popcorn for everyone to enjoy . FAMAS Vice President Internal Mercy Sia with her team of Malaya FAMAS EB and their families prepared the venue and served the food . They also facilitated the bingo games and raffles . For once , the attendees were treated to delicious soup , bingo games , raffles , movie and popcorn without spending a penny . As Joseph kept reminding the crowd , it was FAMAS ’ way of “ giving back ”. Lisa Lanuzo , one of the attending seniors commented that it was “ never heard of ”. She was so surprised that a project of the magnitude of Soup-a-Sabado can be made possible without asking for even a penny from the attendees . One of the attendees suggested that , maybe , the participants would not mind to pay for the bingo cards or raffle tickets for possibly a dollar to cover at least the cutleries .
At the end of the solid 3 hours , everyone went home happy and contented . The attendees loved the new experience . The organizers , on the other hand , were ecstatic that the launch of the once-a-month project was a success .