KUALA LUMPUR: Sunway XFarms, the agri-tech arm of Sunway Group, contributed over 2,400 kilogrammes of Grade A, fresh and pesticide-free produce to more than 3,500 families in need across Klang Valley.
This campaign aimed at reducing the gap between food accessibility and improving dietary nutrition for those at the bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder, where a significant portion of the population has come to rely on food aid programmes run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) due to economic hardship exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sunway XFarms also partnered with various NGOs and charitable organisations, such as MyKasih and HTBB, and participated in distribution events hosted by Puchong Member of Parliament Yeo Bee Yin and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who is also Segambut Member of Parliament, respectively, in order to reach out to their respective constituencies.
Sunway XFarms chief operating officer Eleanor Choong said sustainable development goes beyond just efforts to address climate change but must include advancements in social and economic pillars of society as well.
"Sunway XFarms encourages other farmers and food manufacturers to set aside a portion of their outputs for the needy, as we have witnessed a significant increase in undernourished people since 2019 due to increased poverty, global conflicts and the Covid-19 pandemic," she said in a statement.
She said the company would continue to donate fresh vegetables.
"Most of the beneficiaries are from B40 groups and refugee schools that do not have access to healthy diets due to financial constraints, time limitations and poor lifestyle habits.
"We hope that these fresh vegetables we supply will promote healthier diets,starting from a young age," Choong said.
The CSR project by Sunway XFarms saw a joint effort by Sunway Property and Sunway
Theme Parks contributed enough vegetables to feed over 100 families for a month,and also included some of their signature items in the distribution, such as cup noodles and instant cooking pastes.
"We are particularly heartened to have partners such as Sunway Property and Sunway Theme Parks who committed to support the donation of fresh produce for the long term," said Choong.
Corporates outside of Sunway also joined in on the giving campaign, with one company sponsoring over 500 loaves of freshly baked bread from May to July, which was used along with the vegetables to make nutritious sandwiches by HTBB to distribute to various refugee schools and communities weekly.