Themed #AyamBersamaMu, the 20-day Ayam Brand Community Care Campaign was carried out as a fully virtual affair.
FOR many established corporations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a vital cornerstone upon which they build their businesses.
A study conducted by a private New York-based consulting firm reported that 42% of how people feel about a company is based on their perceptions of the firm’s CSR. The Covid-19 pandemic threatened to cut off many of these corporation-supported lifelines to charitable organisations.
However, multinational food company, Ayam Brand, stayed the course as they embarked on their 14th Ayam Brand Community Care Campaign this year.
Themed #AyamBersamaMu, the fully virtual event was held over 20 days was, compliant with the Government’s standard operating procedures.
Most importantly, it came at a time when many of the homes in need.
Some were directly affected by the pandemic with the children and their caregivers being Covid-19 positive, while others were running low on contributions from corporate and individual donors.
Homes were worried about and preparing for the approaching monsoon season and possible flooding. Many have had to make do with less.
New attractions
Running from Oct 8 to 28 this year, Ayam Brand’s campaign was aimed at inculcating the concept of a balanced diet based on the Health Ministry’s Malaysian Healthy Plate, ‘Suku-Suku Separuh’ guidelines to 1,500 children from 32 participating charity homes nationwide.
The #SukusukuSeparuh guidelines promote higher fibre intake that makes up half of the meal, with a quarter portion for both protein and carbohydrates that can help in maintaining better health.
Dietitians gave good advice to the kids on how to apportion their food following the Health Ministry’s ‘Suku-Suku Separuh’ guidelines.
Promoting healthy eating is one of Ayam Brand’s key pillars. Keeping things fresh, this year saw two new and engaging activities added.
First, dietitians from KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital were invited to share the guidelines with the children, teaching them some basics of nutrition, and how to apportion their fibre, protein, and carbohydrates for a balanced meal.
Second, the #AyamFutureCreator programme that encourages and equips children to create their own cooking videos giving them the skills, tips, and tricks to become future content creators for fun, and as a potential career path.
Well-known content creator and young entrepreneur Arianna Natasha of Arianna Kitchen was invited to provide an in-depth tutorial and to mentor the children.
Adding more motivation, the best cooking video content by the children could win them PTPTN savings account prizes totalling RM6,000 for their tertiary education or when they progress from their charity home.
Ayam Brand gifted more than 230,000 healthy and nutritious Ayam Brand meals to these homes, including tuna and saba fish which are high in Omega-3 fatty acids that are vital for health, but are not produced by our bodies.
Arianna Natasha of Arianna Kitchen sharing tips with the children on creating engaging video content.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a core business principle for Ayam Brand.
The company believes in minimising wastage by maximising the whole product.
It is engaged in a long-term production programme to reduce waste and its carbon footprint.
For example, its coconut range processes the whole coconut, from water, oil, milk and cream, while the shell and husk are collected and used for burners to replace the usual fossil fuels, like oil or gas.
In its fish facility, it is working on a special machinery to process rejected parts to produce fish hydrolysed protein for the pharmaceutical industry.
Packaging is minimised and largely involves simple materials like tin, glass or paper, which are 100% recyclable.
Ayam Brand is committed to run this campaign annually to reach out to more people and communities nationwide during and after the pandemic, to deliver the consistent message of healthy eating and sustainable living.
