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Antonio “Tony” Liberato’s desire to be in the missions came in 1991.Pinatubo had displaced a lot of Aetas from their ancestral home when it erupted. Tony noted that then Pres. Corazon Aquino sent a letter to the Philippine Embassy in Germany soliciting for help. Copies of the letter were distributed to the Filipino Community. Tony received a copy. “I decided to collect donations after discussing it with my wife.” Family and friends held a series of Sunday church socials. “We sold food and souvenir items. We introduced salabat for the first time and called it ginger tea. It got well known. People would call us about it and we’d tell them we would hold a church social in their community. We didn’t stick a price so that people would buy something and pay from their heart.” The activity meant sacrifices. Tony and his family would wake up at 4 a.m. to prepare for the Sunday mission. “I thought: This is the first and last time I’ll do such a thing.” On June 11, 1991, he and his team came to the Philippines to deliver goods (e.g. rice, slippers) personally to 800 families in Pinatubo. When he saw the bleak landscape, Tony felt: “This is not the first and last time I’ll be doing this but only the beginning. I saw how they needed me. God put me here. This is my life; my work.” Since then, the Tony has been organizing free clinics, giving scholarships and donating food, toys, clothing and medical supplies to Filipinos in need. Through the Liberato Family Foundation (LFF), SEC registered in Germany, Tony has been able to tap friends and neighbors back home to their blessings.
Items for donation may include :
- food (e.g. canned goods, rice, noodles etc.)
- toys (new or used)
- clothing (new or used)
- educational supplies (e.g. notebooks, pencils etc.)
- medical supplies (e.g. medicines, vitamins, wheelchairs, dialyser etc.)
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