KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — Over the course of five months, Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&NHB) employees patiently collected recyclable items consisting of paper, plastic, aluminium, and electronic waste as part of an internal recycling drive called the F&N Go Green++ programme.

By the end of August last year, more than 76,356 kilograms had been amassed, nearly seven times more than the initial 10,000 kilogram target set by the campaign.

The waste was then sold off to recycling centres all around the country with F&NHB employees raising a staggering RM27,905.53 as a result.

This led to the birth of the F&N Go Green++ One Child, One School Bag project held from November to December last year, which gave employees a chance to give back to the community by purchasing school bags and basic school supplies for underprivileged children.

During the project, employees were able to select an orphanage or charity and were then given RM1,000 to purchase basic necessities for the home in addition to new school bags for the children.

F-N employees brought a touch of joy to the children of Pertubuhan Kebajikan Vision Kulaijaya, Johor Baru.

Workers also had the opportunity to add a personal touch to their contributions by adopting the school bags given to the children, attaching a handwritten note to it, and then filling it with RM50 worth of other necessities such as toiletries and books at their own expense.

During visits to distribute the bags and gifts to the orphanages and underprivileged communities, F&NHB employees also spent quality time with the children by organising Christmas carol sessions and sitting down to delicious meals with them.

F&NHB chief executive officer Lim Yew Hoe, in a press release, commended their achievements in helping kids in need to start the year off on the right foot with new school bags, stationery, and other essential learning materials.

"It is deeply heartening to see how the F&N family banded together to voluntarily help equip underprivileged children with new school bags and necessary school supplies to learn as they returned to school.

"I hope that our contribution will help ease the financial burden of the families and motivate the children to get excited about heading back to school.”

Fraser and Neave Bhd employees from the Pulau Indah plant spreading back-to-school joy to the kids at Pangsapuri Program Perumahan Rakyat in Kampung Baru Hicom, Shah Alam.

It wasn’t just needy children who benefitted from F&NHB’s initiatives as RM5,000 worth of equipment was also donated to the Sea Turtle Research Unit of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu from sales of reusable straws during the F&N Go Green++ programme.

The equipment will be used to build an outdoor classroom aimed at educating students and visitors on the importance of marine conservation particularly in regards to the protection of sea turtles in Malaysia.

Lim said all these activities were part of the company’s corporate social responsibility to give back to society and raise environmental awareness.