Sports Toto’s CNY ang pow campaign benefits 118 old folks’ homes
KOTA KINABALU: Sports Toto ushers in the Year of the Ox by kick starting its 34th annual Chinese New Year Ang Pow Donation Campaign to benefit 118 old folks’ homes nationwide starting from 22 to 26 February 2021.
“We regret that we are unable to hold the same Chinese New Year Ang Pow donation campaign, which has been held for more than 30 years, for the needy public due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our targeted beneficiaries are senior citizens who fall under the high risk category and we simply cannot take the risk to do a public donation campaign this year,” said Sports Toto Malaysia Sdn Bhd Executive Director Nerine Tan when launching the donation campaign at Pusat Jagaan Little Sisters of the Poor in Kuala Lumpur.
“The pandemic has been a serious threat not just to the people but including all businesses since 2020 and Sports Toto is not spared from it.
“However, we are content that we are still able to hold a series of charitable events to help the needy and underprivileged groups,” she said.
Sports Toto began identifying and liaising with the selected old folks’ homes registered with the Social Welfare Department since August 2020.
A total of 118 qualified old folks’ homes were chosen as the beneficiaries and this would benefit 4,660 senior citizens residing at these homes.
Each home would receive cash donation ranging from RM2,500 to RM10,000 as well as shopping vouchers worth RM1,500 to RM5,000, depending on the number of inmates at one home.
Tan said Sports Toto is always committed to its corporate social responsibility in realising a sustainable society and the company hopes that the traditional Chinese New Year Ang Pow Donation Campaign can be resumed when the pandemic ends.
“In Chinese culture, the Ox is attributed to positive characteristics such as hardworking and honest.
“We hope that in the Year of the Ox, all will be well and that we shall be handsomely rewarded with our hard work. Sports Toto would like to wish everyone Gong Xi Fa Cai and a prosperous new year,” she added.
Since the inception of this charitable campaign in 1988, Sports Toto has contributed over RM22.5 million worth of ang pows and hampers to more than 414,000 senior citizens in the country.
The donation campaign is part of the Helping Hands programme, a corporate social responsibility initiative by Sports Toto to share, give and care for the community.
To aid the people affected by the pandemic, Sports Toto had held festive donations to the underprivileged communities during Hari Raya, Deepavali, Harvest and Gawai Festival as well as Christmas in 2020; the company had also donated 70,000 face masks to school children in Kedah, Selangor, Pahang and Johor.