Sunway XFarms’ one-for-one campaign throughout the month of May saw the agri-tech arm of Sunway Group rally both corporate and individual donors to contribute over 2,400 kilogrammes of Grade A, fresh and pesticide-free produce to more than 3,500 families in need across Klang Valley.
With 30% of B40 children suffering from malnutrition due to lack of access to healthy food, according to research by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, 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.
For every salad lettuce bag purchased, Sunway XFarms matched with another bag to gift a family in need. Each corporate partner donated a minimum of 100 bags of fresh, nutritious vegetables per week, which brought the total number of donated vegetables to over 2,400 kilogrammes.
Sunway XFarms also partnered with various NGOs and charitable organisations such as MyKasih and HTBB, as well as participated in distribution events hosted by Puchong Member of Parliament Yeo Bee Yin as well as Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who is also Segambut Member of Parliament, respectively in order to reach out to their respective constituencies.
“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,” says Eleanor Choong, Chief Operating Officer of Sunway XFarms. She added that the company will continue to donate fresh vegetables from time to time.
"Most of the beneficiaries are from B40 groups and refugee schools who 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.”
The CSR project by Sunway XFarms saw a joint effort by Sunway Property and Sunway Theme Parks who 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,” says 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. Volunteers gathered in the morning to make over 600 sandwiches. HTBB’s Head of Food Bank, Michael Ho said “Although it seems like a lot of sandwiches, it’s just one meal for them.”
Those looking to collaborate to donate fresh, nutritious produce to the less fortunate can do so from the Sunway XFarms website or by directly getting in touch at +60 11-5621 6538.