SIG APAC SOUTH ORGANISES DONATION DRIVE AND VISIT FOR THE UNDERPRIVILEGED COMMUNITY AT BANN PHA LAI VILLAGE

In line with SIG’s Way Beyond Good journey, employees from the APAC South manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand, recently organised a donation drive and visit to Bann Pha Lai village in Chiangdao, Chiangmai. Bann Pha Lai is home to approximately 60 households, many of them living on bare minimum income of less than 1,000 Baht per month. Within the village are also senior citizens and people with disabilities who are unable to work, and as a result do not have any income at all.

“Every year end within the APAC South region, we aim to continue our Way Beyond Good activities to give back to the communities in the region. This year, thanks to the organising committee, the Rayong plant team has visited Bann Pha Lai to participate in several activities, donate necessities to the villagers, and lend a helping hand in whatever way we can,” said Angela Lu, President and General Manager APAC South at SIG.

Prior to the visit, the organising committee ran a donation drive, seeking used winter clothes, basic household equipment, and toys. It was heart-warming to see SIG employees selflessly contributing items such as blankets, gloves, hats and more to ensure that the villagers would be well equipped come the colder season.

A visit was organised on 9 December 2022 for SIG volunteers to distribute the donated items and food packages per household that included items such as rice, cooking oil, canned fish, instant noodles, condensed milk for older individuals, soap, toothpaste, and other living necessities. The SIG team also participated in a cooking class using local ingredients planted at the village itself and joined a walkabout with the villagers.

“I am very happy to be here with the SIG Rayong plant team after many months of organising. This is something we aim to do more often to support and give back to communities,” said Miguel Gamito, Head of Operations & SCM, SIG Rayong Plant.

Going Way Beyond Good for Food

SIG aims to create positive impact through community engagement led by its network of Way Beyond Good Champions. One of the four pillars of SIG’s Way Beyond Good strategy is ‘Food positive’. Almost 811 million people in the world do not have access to enough food, and one in three people suffer from some type of malnutrition. These communities face multiple barriers, and SIG strives to provide access to safe and affordable nutrition to more people than it ever has before with its aseptic technology and packaging, and at the same time minimise waste by reducing food and beverage loss.

Initiatives such as the Bann Pha Lai visit allow SIG employees to participate in the Way Beyond Good in their own capacity to make a difference, providing access to safe nutrition especially for underserved communities in rural areas.