Hungrily, Savage Mind give free books to Naga clients

For Hungrily and Savage Mind, the best way to celebrate the National Literature Month this year is to give away free books on Sundays to its customers in Naga City who are in home quarantine.

Hungrily, an application-based e-commerce platform for local food delivery in Naga City, teamed up with Savage Mind, a bookstore owned by film director and writer Kristian Cordero, to provide customers free books on the lives of Bicol heroes and activists Jose Maria Panganiban, General Simeon Ola, and Liliosa Hilao.

This is while the national government tries to flatten the curve by requiring the people to stay at home, while countless front-liners battle the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“With these digital platforms, we are still able to deliver books alongside with their (customer’s) groceries and other needs,” Cordero told Bicol Mail.

He said that while food remains the utmost needs of the residents in Naga, both companies are aiming to champion the love of books to the middle-class population.

Cordero said that customers who ordered food worth P500 and above during the first Sunday of April were given free copies of any of the books on Bicol heroes.

On Easter Sunday, LGBT-themed books written by Bicol author Danton Remoto were given to customers, Cordero said.

He said that copies of the Bicol essayists’ anthology book “Kinalas, Kinunot, Kinamot” were given to customers on the third Sunday of the month, while they are trying to work out to give children’s books on the fourth Sunday.

Magno Conag III, owner of Nueca Technologies, Inc., which owns Hungrily, said that to protect their delivery workers from the virus, precautionary measures are done when they report for work.

“Every day, when they report for work, we check their temperature. We provide them masks and alcohol, and we update them on the latest crisis advisory issued by the local government,” Conag said.

He also said that the workers were also given daily reminders on safe practices and gestures when transacting with customers.

The delivery period for Hungrily orders was also cut short from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM so the workers have enough time to rest, he said.

Inside their office, he said that wide spaces were allocated for the workers so they can rest while also practicing physical distancing.

“We hope we get more support from our teachers and parents so as their children will spend this long period of staying home to reading books as well,” Cordero said.

Meanwhile, Community Mart, the other mobile-based application owned by Nueca Technologies, Inc. has expanded to Legazpi City and Tabaco City, both in Albay, in a partnership with a local mall chain since Apr. 15.