2021 Feb 1
The impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been felt to seismic effect through all strata of life. It has single-handedly brought the world to a standstill and shifted the very manner in which we as people, experience our day to day lives.
While many of us have been lucky enough to return to some degree of normalcy over the past 12 months, there have been swathes of our populations whose livelihood remains threatened. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, these communities were mainly comprised of daily wage earners, people who lived hand to mouth and relied heavily on the daily bread they bought home.
“2020 was a challenging year across the board for everyone, with many people losing their jobs and livelihoods due to the pandemic. With this project, Sysco LABS hoped to fulfil an essential need in the community: a safely prepared warm meal to share with their family”, stated Shanil Fernando, Managing Director – Sri Lanka and SVP Engineering of Sysco LABS regarding the motivation behind the ‘Share a Meal. Share a Moment’ programme.
Driven by this vision, Sysco LABS had marshalled its entire organization with a solemn effort to provide over 12,000 warm meals by December 31st, 2020. To ensure that the project was completed successfully, Sysco LABS partnered up with specialist stakeholders who could assist with food preparation as well as food distribution.
The internationally recognized Robin Hood Army as well as the locally driven charity organization, Ghedora-Connects, came on board to provide their knowledge of the communities within and surrounding Colombo that was most vulnerable during this holiday season. With experience in surplus food distribution and a commitment to support marginalized women and children in poorer communities in Colombo, these two organizations brought a wealth of knowledge to the project.
The efforts for hunger relief were made possible by the contributions of Curry Pot restaurants and Curries Kitchen that ensured all meals were prepared to be delicious and in accordance with all health and safety guidelines.
Their efforts were not in vain as the cumulative efforts of Sysco LABS, The Robin Hood Army, Ghedora – Connects as well as volunteers from The Rotaract Club of Achievers Lanka Business School culminated in more than 12,000 meals being donated by the conclusion of the project.
In assessing the impact of their project, Kushani Kalpage, Senior Manager – Marketing of Sysco LABS affirmed that, “We understand that we are only at the beginning and this is a deep-rooted issue not only in our country but around the world. As part of Sysco, the leading global foodservice distribution company, this is an initiative close to our hearts. We plan to continue prioritizing hunger relief in 2021 as well.”
Globally, Sysco has provided close to 40 million meals and has consistently honoured their ethos as a leading global foodservice distribution company and as such, Sysco LABS is keenly invested in continuing their efforts to provide more warm meals, bring families together and create moments of heartfelt joy in communities around the nation. If you wish to lend a helping hand to vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka, contact RHA and Ghedora-Connects.
