SK Supports Overcoming COVID-19... Delivering Happy Lunchboxes to Children Facing Food Insecurity

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] SK, which is undertaking company-wide support for recovery from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) damage, will deliver lunchboxes to children at risk of food insecurity.

On the 16th, SK announced that starting from the 17th, it will deliver lunchboxes to 1,500 children recommended by local governments, including 1,000 in Daegu and 500 in Gyeongbuk.

Lunchboxes will be delivered to homes on weekdays, and side dishes will be provided on weekends. These children usually relied on school lunch programs during the semester, but with recent school openings delayed, there are concerns they may miss meals.

The lunchbox preparation and delivery will be carried out jointly by 'Donghaeng,' a social enterprise in the Daegu area, Seogu Wellfood Co., Ltd., and Gangbuk Hope Cooperative. SK employees in the Daegu region will also participate as volunteers. The duration of provision will be determined comprehensively based on the COVID-19 spread trends and school closure extensions.

Along with the lunchboxes, 'Happiness Boxes' worth approximately 100,000 KRW will be delivered. The boxes contain masks, vitamins, healthy snacks, samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), and daily necessities (toothbrush, toothpaste), among other items.

Since 2006, SK has operated the social enterprise 'Happy Lunchbox' to address food insecurity issues. Since 2016, SK has formed the 'Happy Alliance' with individuals, companies, and social enterprises sharing the goal of solving social problems, taking the lead in addressing child food insecurity. Seven Happy Alliance members (Vitamin Angels, Beautiful Coffee, Haemaro Food Service, Superjam, Earthman, Hanseong Enterprise, Lion Korea) participated in preparing the Happiness Boxes this time.

SK is also actively utilizing the Social Progress Credit (SPC) system to support recovery efforts. SPC is a system SK has operated since 2015 to revitalize the social enterprise ecosystem. It measures the social value created by social enterprises in monetary terms and provides cash incentives proportional to that value. The support scale was around 9.5 billion KRW annually as of 2020. Special incentives will be given to social enterprises participating in this recovery effort.

Meanwhile, SK will assist the sales of products from social enterprises and cooperatives in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions through online shopping malls such as SK Stoa and 11st. These shopping malls plan to waive or reduce commissions to support the businesses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.