Link joins hands with the World Green Organisation to distribute over 2,300 surplus food packages to the elderly

The ‘Linking Food with Love – From the Golden Age to the Greens’ Surplus Food Donation Project’ (the Project) celebrated its success at the closing ceremony and fair today at Stanley Plaza. Officiating guests included Ms. Christine Loh, JP, Under Secretary for the Environment of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Environmental Bureau and Dr. William Yu, CEO of the World Green Organisation (WGO). The Project was organised by the WGO and sponsored by Link Asset Management Limited (Link) as a programme under Link Together Initiatives, Link’s flagship community programme. The Project helped recover and re-distribute nearly seven tons of surplus food from Link’s fresh markets and delivered over 2,300 surplus food packages to the elderly and underprivileged.

Dr. William Yu said,

I wish that everyone will continue supporting this surplus food donation project. Not only does it reduce food waste, but it also teaches us to be mindful of our use of precious food resources. Last but not least, I hope everyone could keep up the good spirit of ‘linking food with love’.

B.C. Lo, Director of Corporate Communications and External Relations at Link, said,

Link is happy to support the World Green Organisation in multiple ways included funding, soliciting the needed tenant support, providing coordination at our markets and having our own volunteers join in this worthy programme.  True to our brand promise of ‘linking people to a brighter future’, we are making a positive contribution to society, the environment and helping to promote sustainable development in Hong Kong.

The Project lasted for one year with youth and elderly volunteers helping re-distribute surplus food collected from Link’s Shek Lei and H.A.N.D.S markets in Tuen Mun.  The food packages were being distributed to the elderly and underprivileged families in these districts. The Project brings awareness to the environment by better utilising our existing resources as well as promoting care within the community. Through the regular collection and re-distribution of surplus food, the volunteers are privileged to be able to serve the community in a meaningful way and are helping people in need through the simple act of giving.

A video was shown at the closing ceremony to explain the project details, while the youth and elderly volunteers educated the public about surplus food donation and collection processes through experiential activities. A variety of activities were open for the public’s participation, including tasting of meals made with the surplus food donations and workshops on food waste dyeing and milk box up-cycling.

Today’s photos:
https://drive.google.com/a/thewgo.org/folderview?id=0B1zs6zXxdiBQMDVEVnFmUnhQR1U&usp=sharing

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About Link REIT and Link Asset Management Limited
Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Hong Kong stock code: 823), managed by Link Asset Management Limited, is the first real estate investment trust listed in Hong Kong, and currently Asia’s largest REIT and one of the world’s largest retail-focused REITs in terms of market capitalisation. Wholly owned by private and institutional investors, Link REIT is a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index. With a portfolio spanning Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, we serve the community by creating vibrant and unique retail experiences that meet the needs of the people who live around our shopping centres, and providing an effective platform with which the tenants of our retail and office properties can flourish. In doing so, we enhance value for unitholders of Link REIT and support the local economy while linking people to a brighter future.

About the World Green Organisation (WGO)
WGO is an independent non-governmental organisation concerned with environmental conservation and environmentally related livelihood and economic affairs. It provides an holistic approach to a fully integrated three-pronged solution that combines social, environmental and economic aspects for an environmental revolution.

About Link Together Initiatives
Link Together Initiatives (Link Initiatives) was established in January 2013 by Link REIT (Link) as its flagship charity and community programme to support eligible charitable organisations to launch relevant service projects that benefit the communities near Link’s properties. Link Initiatives was set up with the objective of advancing sustainable development in the communities served by The Link and to further the company’s vision of improving the lives of the people around us.

Every year, Link contributes an amount of up to 0.25% of its net property income from the previous financial year to Link Initiatives. The maximum that can be awarded to any one organisation is 30% of the total funds granted. For the funding cycles 2013/14 and 2014/15, 19 community projects were selected for a total donation of around HK$18 million, serving some 125,000 people in need. Link Initiatives 2015/16 supports 44 community projects with a donation of HK$10 million, expecting to benefit around 360,000 people.

Website: http://www.linkreit.com/EN/corporate/Pages/linktogetherinitiatives.aspx
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LinkTogetherInitiatives