Cargill pledges 16 million meals to support Covid-19 relief efforts in India

As COVID-19 continues to spread, there is a growing need to feed the most vulnerable communities in our society. In line with its purpose of nourishing the world, Cargill has pledged 16 million meals to feed families through dry ration kits and cooked meals. The relief efforts will impact 150,000 families across 16 cities in India, including Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune, Kurkumbh, Kandla, Surat, Bengaluru, Davangere, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Bhatinda, Noida, Nagpur, Varanasi, and Jaipur.

To implement this, Cargill is working with three NGO partners, namely, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Feeding India and India Food Banking Network (IFBN), reaching out to communities pan India. The dry ration kits include food items like pulses, rice, oil, wheat flour, spices, among others depending on local requirements. And cooked meals are also being served daily across these states. Cargill’s efforts also include a monetary contribution to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM Cares Fund). Cargill is also leveraging its distribution network and working with local state authorities to meet hyper-local needs with in-kind donations across the country.

“This global crisis requires a fully concerted approach to be adopted. Given the critical nature of our business, we are cognizant of our role in the relief and recovery efforts. We are doing everything needed to ensure the supply of essential food and feed products continues. On the other hand, we are supporting local authorities and reaching out through NGO partners to provide food items and meals to nourish those impacted. We will continue helping communities during this time of need”, said Simon George, president, Cargill India.

Sundeep Talwar, chief marketing officer, Akshay Patra Foundation, said, “Our partnership with Cargill has strengthened our resolve to serve the ones most affected in this hour of crisis. Support from Cargill shall enable the provision of cooked meals and dry ration kits for thousands of marginalized families who have lost their livelihood. We hope our collaborative efforts will alleviate the burden for these families.”

Cargill India employees are also making voluntary contributions to support the cause. Cargill India will be matching the amount collected through this drive, thus doubling employees’ contribution to help communities. The corpus collected will be donated to the PM Cares Fund, set up by PM Modi, for those affected by the coronavirus.