With schools closed due to COVID-19, millions of children have lost healthy school meals they depend on during the week. When kids don’t have food, kids aren’t learning. Syntax’s CSR educational program has stepped up to help with 410,000 meals donated to ensure kids keep learning.
In January 2020, Syntax launched its employee-led initiative to grow the next generation of leaders through global education empowerment.
The mission of the Syntax’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) education program is to empower Syntax’s employees across the globe to identify opportunities to add value through volunteerism and charitable efforts, aiming to support and leave a long-lasting impact on education in local, regional, and global communities.
How Can Syntax Support Communities During a Global Pandemic?
Syntax’s Canada and United States CSR volunteer committees have been hard at work in 2020 developing ways where employees can support our communities, especially during today’s global pandemic.
One of the main concerns that has arisen during this time is the need for food for children who aren’t receiving meals they would normally receive at school. For many kids, the food they receive at school is their only meal.
Research has shown that kids who don’t receive food and proper nutrition struggle to learn and develop. In fact, 1 in 4 children could face hunger this year because of the coronavirus. With schools closed, millions of children have lost the healthy school meals they depend on and parents are struggling to afford food for their children. When kids don’t have food, kids aren’t learning.
Syntax Teams Up with No Kid Hungry and the Breakfast Club of Canada
The Syntax CSR committees for Canada and the United States have identified a way to help make sure kids are learning by partnering with No Kid Hungry, an organization with its main goal to end childhood hunger in America, and the Breakfast Club of Canada, an organization that nourishes children across Canada and helps children reach their full potential one breakfast at a time.
Syntax and No Kid Hungry have partnered with these organizations to help kids get the food they need during school closures due to COVID-19. Emergency grants are being provided to schools and community groups to ensure kids get food. Syntax will be making a $25,000 donation to No Kid Hungry and the Breakfast Club of Canada to help support kids within communities. 410,000 total meals that were donated due to Syntax’s donations.
Syntax Organizes an Employee Fundraiser
Syntax also organized an internal campaign with its employees, raising over $6,200 to support No Kid Hungry. Since Syntax surpassed its goal of $5,000 for the employee fundraiser, Biju George, Syntax’s Senior Vice President of Customer Experience, dyed his hair a crazy color: hot pink. When employees donated money to the fundraiser, they voted on what color they wanted Biju to dye his hair. Options included blue, hot pink, and platinum blonde.
Supporting Durham, North Carolina and New Rochelle, New York Local Communities with Grants
Two employee grant proposals were approved to support local communities in Durham, North Carolina and New Rochelle, New York during COVID-19 totaling $10,000. The two benefiting organizations are DPS Foundation (DPSF), an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together the communities of Durham Public Schools, the public and private sectors, and Durham community leaders; and HOPE Community Services, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is one of the largest emergency food pantries and soup kitchens in the Rochelle, New York region.
Learn More About the Non-Profits Syntax Supported and Syntax CSR Program
For all projects combined, more than $41,000 was donated through Syntax CSR efforts during the second quarter 2020. To learn more about the organizations that Syntax helped, please visit their websites below:
- No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org/who-we-are
- Breakfast Club of Canada: https://www.breakfastclubcanada.org/
- DPS Foundation: https://www.bullcityschools.org/about
- Hope Community Services: https://hopecommunityservices.org/about-us/
To learn more about Syntax’s global education empowerment program, please visit https://www.syntax.com/about/corporate-social-responsibility/.