HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – 29 May 2020 – Citi
Hong Kong announced today that the Citi Foundation is donating US$150,000 (around
HK$1.17 million) to Feeding Hong Kong for the provision of up to 14 days’ worth
of key food staples to 5,600 vulnerable households via 70 frontline charities in
Hong Kong.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
previous daily and weekly feeding programs supported by Feeding Hong Kong, particularly
those in community centers serving hot meals or fresh food, have largely been replaced
by hand-outs of packaged food.
Ms. Angel Ng, Chief Executive
Officer of Citi Hong Kong and Macau, said, “The impact of COVID-19 has been
felt acutely across the globe and in these challenging times those that are
vulnerable are struggling more than ever. With school closures, job
disruptions, health risks and rising food prices, food assistance for the
vulnerable has never been more vital. This is why we choose to collaborate with
Feeding Hong Kong to build an inventory of emergency food boxes to distribute
to vulnerable households across Hong Kong as the need for food assistance
increases.”
“Over the past century, Citi
Hong Kong has contributed not only to the development of the financial industry
but also to improving the well-being of people and the local community, and we
strive to experience the different challenges together with Hong Kong. We recognize
our responsibility and commitment to creating a positive impact and to ensuring
we can enable progress and growth for different stakeholders in Hong Kong.”
Ms. Gabrielle Kirstein, Chief
Executive Officer, Feeding Hong Kong, said, “Companies and charities can achieve incredible things by
working together and this partnership is testament to that. Our emergency food
boxes are a vital source of support to frontline food banks,
welfare centres and other community programs who, in the most challenging of
circumstances, are doing everything they can to feed those most
vulnerable. Citi Foundation’s support will enable Feeding Hong Kong
to source, pack and deliver a further 5,600 emergency food boxes, which, in
turn, will be safely delivered by our partners to the doorsteps of families in
need.”
Donated by Citi Foundation, Feeding
Hong Kong’s emergency food boxes each contains a selection of shelf-stable
foods, ensuring recipients have sufficient basic supplies for three meals a day
to last up to 14 days. Foods include dry goods, such as rice, noodles, oats,
and beans, as well as canned protein, vegetables and fruit, and beverages such
as tea and UHT milk. Distribution of the food boxes will be arranged through
their frontline charity partners, benefitting 5,600 vulnerable households.
In addition, Citi Hong Kong has
donated 110,000 facemasks to Feeding Hong Kong for distribution to vulnerable
seniors and families at a time when there was a shortage of epidemic prevention
supplies.
Citi and the Citi Foundation
have committed over US$65 million to date in support of COVID-19-related
community relief efforts around the world, including nearly US$36 million in
charitable contributions from Citi and nearly US$30 million in grants from the
Citi Foundation. Citi has launched a new employee donation campaign called
Double the Good. For every US$1 donated by a Citi employee in support of
COVID-19 relief, Citi will donate US$1 to one of four organizations selected by
each of Citi’s regions to address unique challenges. In APAC, the matching
funds will be donated to United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Citi also takes proactive
measures to preserve the well-being of employees globally, including special
compensation awards to 75,000 colleagues to help ease the financial burden of
this situation. In Hong Kong, a special compensation award of HK$8,000 has been
provided in April to colleagues whose annual base salary is at HK$470,000 or
less.
Please download the photo HERE.
Photo
Caption
Photo 1
Donated by Citi Foundation, Feeding
Hong Kong’s emergency food boxes each contains a selection of shelf-stable
foods, ensuring recipients have sufficient basic supplies for three meals a day
to last up to 14 days. Distribution of the food boxes will be arranged through
their frontline charity partners, benefitting 5,600 vulnerable households.
Photo 2
Citi
Hong Kong has donated 110,000 facemasks to Feeding Hong Kong for distribution
to vulnerable seniors and families at a time when there was a shortage of
epidemic prevention supplies.
About Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation works to
promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income
communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial
inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to
building economically vibrant cities. The Citi Foundation’s “More than
Philanthropy” approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people
to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more
information, visit www.citifoundation.com
About Feeding Hong Kong
Feeding Hong Kong is a local
registered charity with a mission to reduce the amount of quality food sent to
our city’s landfills and fight hunger in Hong Kong. We do this through
delivering a B2B logistics service, which links food companies with surplus stock,
to charities directly feeding those in need. Last year, through our
partnerships with the food industry, we saved 823 tonnes of food from landfill.
Instead, this was redistributed to 132 charity partners and supported 2.17
million meals for people in need. For more information, visit
www.feedinghk.org.
