Cheah (second from right) joining some 200 volunteers at Sunway Pyramid to pack more than 80,000 meals for distribution to less privileged communities.
Sunway Group kicked off its annual initiative Meal Pack-a-Thon series in Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with international hunger relief agency Rise Against Hunger.
The pack-a-thon was launched at Sunway Pyramid by Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, alongside Rise Against Hunger adviser Datuk Jimmy Lim and Rise Against Hunger Malaysia president Tiki Keh.
The event this year will lead up to its 50th anniversary in 2024.
The launching was followed by the second leg at Sunway Putra Hotel in Kuala Lumpur and is slated to continue in Sunway City Iskandar Puteri in Johor, Sunway City Ipoh in Perak before the finale at Sunway City Seberang Jaya in Penang in October.
This year’s meal pack-a-thon will see a total of 330,000 meals packed by some 700 volunteers.
Cheah said: “The issue of food security is one that we at Sunway Group take seriously.
“This initiative is powered by our belief that no corporation can stand apart from the communities it serves.
“Sunway Group has fully embraced the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and our food bank initiatives are in line with Goal 2: Zero Hunger.”
According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report by the United Nations, hunger afflicts one in 10 individuals globally.
This issue is even more pressing now as food prices have increased by 20% on average over the past year due to rising inflation, according to World Bank estimates.
This year, meals packed by Sunway Group and Rise Against Hunger will reach more than 5,500 people, including Orang Asli communities in Perak, Kelantan and Pahang, orphanages, homes for seniors and refugees in the Klang Valley, Johor and Penang, the poor across Klang Valley, Penang, Perlis and Kedah, as well as the underprivileged in Timor-Leste.
Since this initiative started in 2014, Sunway’s staff have collectively clocked in more than 25,000 volunteer hours to pack some 1.3 million meals, comprising enriched rice, lentils, dried vegetables and 23 essential vitamins and nutrients.
In addition to Rise Against Hunger, Sunway is collaborating with several non-governmental organisations to make this pack-a-thon a success, including the Selangor Youth Community, Yayasan Raja Muda Selangor, the Malaysian AIDS Foundation, Yayasan Kebajikan Negara, the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Public Works Department, 4x4 Relief Malaysia, Rotary Johor Centennial, Sahabat Orang Asli, Rotary Club USJ and Subang, Kiwanis Club of Penang and The Lost Food Project.
The Meal Pack-a-Thon is part of #SunwayforGood, the Group’s award-winning corporate social responsibility umbrella that pledges to promote sustainability and social responsibility efforts through three areas, namely education, healthcare and community enrichment.
Other activities leading up to its 50th anniversary in 2024 are plans to build and refurbish at least 50 libraries through the Sunway Reading Enhances Aspiration and Drive Programme, pack two million meals for undernourished communities, and provide basic health screening in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation for 50 Orang Asal communities.
