COMPANIES GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

BORD GÁIS ENERGY

Bord Gáis Energy has been supporting Focus Ireland since 2015, and 2020 marks the second year of the Shine a Light Night sponsorship. The sleepout used to be centred on business types but this year everyone is being encouraged to sleep out on October 16 and ‘Shine a Light’ on homelessness. Since the event began in 2015, Shine a Light has raised over €5.3m for people experiencing homelessness in Ireland. In 2019, the support of Bord Gáis Energy as sponsors enabled Focus Ireland to help over 14,200 people.

HSBC

HSBC Ireland recently donated €30,000 to the Covid-19 Response Fund organised by the Community Foundation of Ireland. The CFI’s fund will assist senior citizens, people with respiratory illnesses or cancer, victims of domestic abuse and people suffering from mental health issues. The bank says that through 2020 it intends to donate €230,000 to charities and causes nationwide.

DAA

Whether running marathons, baking cakes or wearing awful Christmas jumpers to work, staff in Dublin Airport Authority are willing to put in the effort to support their partner charities. In 2019, employees, supported by the company and airport passengers, raised €330,000 for three charitable causes.

BANK OF IRELAND

There are an estimated 355,000 family carers in Ireland, and some of them work for Bank of Ireland. The bank has partnered with Family Carers Ireland (FCI) to provide a bespoke programme for employees with caring responsibilities. FCI’s Caring Employers programme provides guidance and assistance on how businesses can appropriately support their employees who have a family caring role.

VIRGIN MEDIA

Virgin Media Ireland’s CSR strategy is focused on Digital Wellness. In 2019

FoodCloud distributes surplus food to hundreds of charitable organisations. Since 2014, long-term partner Tesco has redistributed over 11 million meals. Nestlé Ireland recently announced that it is helping FoodCloud out too, with a €110,000 investment that leverages employee involvement. Pictured with FoodCloud CEO Iseult Ward is Andrew Shaw, Country Manager at Nestlé Ireland

MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN / OSM PHOTOGRAPHY One of Cork charity Cope Foundation’s initiatives is a coffee-shop venture that employs people with disabilities. UCC has welcomed Roots Cafe onto the campus. Pictured are Rowena Mattock, Cope Foundation support worker, and Troy O’Sullivan