Jollibee Group, Temasek foundations team up to feed communities, frontliners affected by COVID-19

Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) has partnered with Singapore-based Temasek Foundation to augment the Jollibee Group FoodAID Program which seeks to help feed healthcare workers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There exists a need for sustained collaborative efforts that can effectively promote access to food among communities by the pandemic and recent disasters. We thank the Temasek Foundation for their trust in the Jollibee Group and their belief in the objectives of the FoodAID Program. Truly, crises such as this pandemic have the power to band like-minded people and groups together,” said Jollibee Group Foundation Executive Director Gisela Tiongson.

For his part, Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive of Temasek, said a united front is needed against the virus – an invisible enemy that does not respect borders.

“We are happy to work with Jollibee Group Foundation in the Philippines to provide more than 105,000 meals and other support where they are most needed. The smiles and resolve of the beneficiaries to soldier on and pull through together is an indication that we are on the right track,” he said.

Through the support provided by Temasek Foundation, JGF and its partners were able to distribute 105,650 meals across Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal from September to December 2020.

Of these, 99,400 meals were served to communities, while the remaining 6,250 meals were served to healthcare workers from 20 public hospitals.

The FoodAID Program was implemented through three initiatives:

- The distribution of ready-to-cook food packs that were directly delivered to communities through JGF’s local partner organizations. JGF leveraged on Jollibee Group’s expertise in meal preparation and product development of specially designed food packs—Chicken Guisado and Beef Meatballs—that allow more people to be provided with nutritious, delicious meals at a lower cost.

- Project Karinderya—a program that helps feed families while facilitating livelihood development of karinderya (local food stores) operators. Through the support from Temasek Foundation, JGF partnered with Kasagana-Ka Development Center (KDCI) and Kabuhayan sa Ganap na Kasarinlan Credit and

Savings Cooperative (K-Coop) to re-establish 30 karinderyas that served 200 families with daily meals for 30 days. JGF also provided training for karinderyachar owners and health cadets on food preparation, food safety, and customer service to further build their capacities and help them become self-sufficient even after the project duration.

- The distribution of ready-to-eat meals to healthcare workers who are working at hospitals in Metro Manila with the highest incidences of COVID-19.

Together with partners and donors, Jollibee Group FoodAID Program has mobilized P300 million-worth of food assistance or 4.7 million meals for families and frontliners from March to December 2020.