Sysco LABS spreads joy among needy during April season

Saturday, 29 May 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is always a season of joy celebrated by most Sri Lankan’s irrespective of religion and ethnicity. After a full year of COVID-19, vulnerable families continue to find it extra challenging to feed their loved ones. Supporting these communities in need and giving them a reason to celebrate this year, Sysco LABS Sri Lanka concluded Phase 2 of their ‘Share a meal. Share a moment.’ initiative recently.

Phase 2 is in line with Sysco LABS’s aim to address hunger relief in 2021. The program which began on 8 April, was conducted over several days and ended on 20 April. Over 1,000 hampers packed with essential dry rations were distributed to families struggling to put food on the table across several areas in greater Colombo. Sysco LABS employees also voluntarily contributed to the effort and added a further 150 hampers bringing the total number donated to 1,150 hampers which helped needy families during this holiday season.

The company once again partnered with the Robin Hood Army Sri Lanka, Ghedora Connects and The Rotaract Club of Achiever’s Lanka who assisted with the distribution of the hampers.

Phase 1 of the project which successfully concluded in December last year, was focused on donating warm meals to communities in need. Over 12,000 warm meals were donated.

Explaining the work behind Phase 2 of the project, Head of Property Gavi Perea said: “The ‘Share a meal, Share a moment’ initiative was an exceptional gesture in reaching out to the underprivileged families who have been further affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Property team and I considered it an honour and privilege to be part of such a program as we feel we helped elevate hunger for at least one less fortunate family through our efforts here.”

Elaborating on the thinking behind the project and what it hopes to accomplish, Head of Marketing Kushani Kalpage said: “After a full year of COVID and its impact, we understand that the challenges needy families face are mounting. With Phase 2 of our ‘Share a meal. Share a moment.’ project, we wanted to give our communities a reason to celebrate during these uncertain times. Our donations seek to bring much-needed relief to those struggling to cope. These efforts are also an extension of Sysco’s global campaign to solve problems of hunger and poverty around the world. The marketing team is proud to lead the charge with the support of other employees and Shared Service teams to make this project a success.”