KUALA LUMPUR: To help the nation and communities affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO), Sunway Group has contributed RM1 million to the Malaysian government’s Covid-19 Fund.
Representing the group at the official mock cheque presentation ceremony, Sunway Berhad Executive Director Sarena Cheah presented the mock cheque to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“As a corporation, we want to reach out to all Malaysians who need it the most during these difficult times including the COVID-19 patients who have lost their jobs because of the disease, frontline healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the line for us, not forgetting the more vulnerable B40 communities as well,” Sarena said.
This contribution was part of Sunway Group’s RM34 million commitment earlier, which is expected to support at least 40,000 Malaysians.
Other contributions include up to RM12 million from Sunway’s healthcare division to cover the cost of subsidising treatment for public patients from MOH and UMMC hospitals, RM20 million worth of rent-free days to Sunway Malls’ non-essential retailers and RM300,000 to various non-profit organisations, including Yayasan Kebajikan Negara to aid B40 beneficiaries nationwide.
LENDING A HELPING HAND
Sunway Resorts & Hotels has also donated 1,500 repurposed soap bars to Pusat Koreksional Puncak Alam, a correctional facility in Kajang, in an effort to help juvenile inmates observe personal hygiene as visitations are not allowed during the MCO.
In addition, more than 25,000 hygiene items including blankets, shower gel, shampoo, dental kits, small pillows and kitchen gloves were donated to Hospital Sungai Buloh in Selangor and Hospital Seberang Jaya in Penang. The aid is expected to benefit at least 5,000 individuals and help hospitals cope with an increasing number of patients during this time.
As part of Sunway Group’s ongoing #zerofoodwastage initiative in collaboration with Kechara Soup Kitchen Society, Sunway hotels have contributed a total of 415kg of surplus food up to February 2020, which has benefited close to 1,700 of the homeless and urban poor in Malaysia.
SUPPORT FOR FRONTLINERS
In Ipoh, Sunway Property has started a weekly contribution of organic vegetables produced in Sunway City Ipoh’s organic farm throughout the MCO period. To date, more than 110kg of fresh organic produce has been delivered to benefit some 750 frontline healthcare workers and patients of Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun.
Separately, Sunway employees have also chipped in contributions under the #SunwayforGood Fund, set up in collaboration with the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. The fund collected more than RM800,000 at its launch last week.
These funds were used to aid Sunway’s frontline healthcare workers, as well as those in essential and critical services across Sunway businesses, such as zookeepers in the theme parks, hotel staff tending to quarantined guests, facility maintenance workers, security officers and auxiliary police. The fund will also support the B40 communities around Sunway townships nationwide.