Mars Wrigley Foundation announces INR 4 million India grant to support poor and vulnerable communities during Covid-19

To contribute dry ration and essential kits through The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Smile Foundation

New Delhi, June 18: Mars Wrigley Foundation has announced an India grant that will aid the daily wage workers, migrants, labour and vulnerable population by providing them dry ration and essential kits. The INR 4 million grant will be supporting The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Smile Foundation, non-profit organisations that are working with vulnerable communities through the crisis.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation will receive INR 2.5 million for distribution of 3,000 ration kits in Gurgaon (Haryana), Bangalore (Karnataka) and Baddi (Himachal Pradesh). The grant will also donate INR 1.5 million to Smile Foundation for distributing 600 dry ration and essential item kits in Pune (Maharashtra). In all, the grant will support 3,600 families in these four locations. The funds disbursed will be used to procure essential relief materials such as food and hygiene items which will include masks, soaps, hand sanitizer and sanitary napkins by the organisations.

“We are committed to the communities where we live and work, especially during this unprecedented time, and are responding to the urgent needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mars Wrigley Foundation is grateful for the relentless work of our partner organisations to assist during this crisis,” said Anne Vela-Wagner, Executive Director, Mars Wrigley Foundation.

“We are happy to partner with the Mars Wrigley Foundation in providing food relief to the severely impacted communities in the 3 states. We have been working with partners, volunteers and well-wishers towards distribution of cooked meals through our centralised kitchens to aid in the disaster relief work,” said Sundeep Talwar, Chief Marketing Officer from The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

“With the Mars Wrigley Foundation grant, Smile Foundation will be able to support 600 underprivileged and vulnerable families in this hour of need. With the help of our grassroot NGO partners, we have been involved in distribution of dry ration and essential kits to the underprivileged and vulnerable families and providing tele-counselling and tele-medicine consultation services,” said Santanu Mishra, Co-Founder and Executive Trustee from Smile Foundation.

Both organisations will be working in close collaboration with the local government agencies and representatives towards carrying out the relief distribution work.

About Mars Wrigley Foundation:

The Mars Wrigley Foundation partners with organizations around the world to help people and communities flourish. Founded in 1987, the foundation works to provide oral health education and care, improve lives in mint- and cocoa-growing regions, prevent litter and waste, and create vibrant communities.  For more information please visit www.marswrigleyfoundation.com

Grants are facilitated in partnership with CAF America. CAF America is a 501c3 public charity in the United States that assists corporations, foundations and individuals with their international philanthropy.

About Mars:

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN’S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day. For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com.

Mars entered the Indian market in 2002. Today, there are over 1,000 Associates across Mars Wrigley, Mars Petcare, Mars Food, Royal Canin as well as the newly launched Mars Edge programme in India. Mars is continuing to invest for growth in India and operates four production units in the country to serve customers and grow the local economy. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About Smile Foundation:

Smile Foundation a national development organization, headquartered in Delhi currently benefits over 7,50,000 children and their families annually, through over 350 projects on education, healthcare, skilling and women empowerment across 25 states. Please visit www.smilefoundationindia.org for more information.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation:

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organization headquartered in Bangalore and is implementing Government of India’s flagship Mid-Day Meal program since 2000. The Akshaya Patra Foundation reaches out to 1.8 Million children every day located in 54 locations through 52 centralized kitchens and 2 decentralized networks. Please visit www.akshayapatra.org for more information.