TCCF partners SLRCS, provides waste-collector families with essential food packages
A beneficiary receives a relief pack in the presence of Pankaj Sinha, Managing Director of The Coca-Cola Company Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Jagath Abeysinghe, National President of Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and Lakshan Madurasinghe, Regional Lead. Press Release
Reiterating its commitment to uplifting the well-being of local communities and honouring waste-collecting communities in Sri Lankathis World Recycling Day, The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) has come together with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) to provide immediate assistance to address food insecurity among marginalized waste-collectors.
Accordingly, TCCF and SLRCS is providing much-needed essential food packages, which includes dry rations and medicine, to over 1,800 families for whom waste collection is the primary source of income in ten selected districts.
TCCF and SLRCS extended the former’s ‘Say We Care’ programme to identify and provide relief packages to vulnerable waste-collector families from over ten districts. Notably, the aforementioned districts had reported high numbers of communities negatively impacted by the economic conditions, including waste collectors. By supporting these families and easing their economic struggles to put a meal on the table, TCCF is able to enhance the waste-collection and recycling ecosystem in the country.
President of The Coca-Cola Foundation Saadia Madsbjerg said, “In Sri Lanka, TCCF has taken remarkable strides to uplift communities adversely impacted by many crises. We are grateful for our long- partnership with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, a non-profit organization that has enabled us to successfully implement many supportive initiatives in the country”’
Sri Lanka Red Cross Society Director General, Dr. Mahesh Gunasekara, stated, “It gives us great pleasure to see a global entity like The Coca-Cola Foundation take a genuine interest in the wellbeing of our country and its communities. Every partnership with the TCCF thus far has been fruitful, and we have seen the lives they have changed for the better. This instance of the partnership is unique—it is intended to address the food security needs of a group of individuals who provide a crucial service to the society but have not been duly recognized. We thank TCCF for the opportunity to collaborate and make a difference again, and we look forward to more collaborations to give back to our communities.”
Notably, TCCF and the SLRCS had partnered previously to execute emergency response initiatives in the country, especially during C-19. Overall, The Coca-Cola Foundation provided Rs.110 million to the national response combating COVID-19 in the island.