Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1250967
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2020 17 COMMERCIAL Palumbo donates 13 tons of food to Food Aid Project RISING pressure on the Food Aid Project, run by the Malta Trust Foundation, will be tem- porarily eased this week after Palumbo Malta Shipyard donat- ed 13 tons of foodstuffs. The shipyard, which has al- ways supported the causes and needs of the Cottonera re- gion during the past 10 years, ordered a 20-foot container packed with foodstuffs for The Food Aid Project that has wit- nessed a spike in demand for food after the COVID-19 pan- demic destabilised the econo- my. Shipyard president Antonio Palumbo said: "Like any indus- try in Malta and all over the world, we have taken a hit, but after 10 years in Malta this is home, and during these most difficult moments we felt now is the time for solidarity with the vulnerable and those most in need." The container, which arrived from Italy this week, includes 6,420kg of pasta, 9,336 cans of peas and 4,704 cans of toma- toes, among other basic food- stuffs. That will go towards the emergency packs that will keep families and individuals going for two weeks. The Food Aid Project was swiftly set up in March when the coronavirus hit Malta, and it has been supporting NGOs struggling to keep up as well as taking in referrals from the Foodbank Lifeline Foundation, which was unable to take on new cases. Palumbo said: "We are in- debted to the team behind the Malta Trust Foundation, which is working so hard to give a temporary lifeline to those who have suddenly found them- selves without an income and unable to feed themselves and their families." The Malta Trust Foundation thanked Palumbo Malta Ship- yard for joining an overwhelm- ing number of businesses and individuals who were coming forward to continue sustaining The Food Aid Project, which is helping more than 5,000 indi- viduals. The Malta Trust Foundation, which is collaborating with other NGOs — such as Caritas, the Millennium Chapel, Little Sisters of the Poor, Richmond Foundation, St Jeanne Antide and Gozo's Foundation for So- cial Welfare, among others — is receiving an increasing num- ber of desperate requests as the economic crisis drags on. Novartis Pharma donates €50,000 to Food Aid Project WITH a sense of social respon- sibility during the unprecedent- ed COVID-19 crisis, Novartis Pharma Services Inc. Malta, a pharmaceutical company, has just announced that it donat- ed €50,000 to The Malta Trust Foundation, in support of The Food Aid Project. The Food Aid Project was es- tablished by The Malta Trust Foundation after it received an overwhelming number of requests from disadvantaged families who are among the worst hit in Malta by the COV- ID-19 economic crisis. The Malta Trust Foundation has also been asked to support some non-profit organisations with food supplies as their re- sources are overstretched in their efforts to cope with the increasing number of people coming forward. Through this donation, the Foundation receives mone- tary donations or donations in kind, and distributes food- stuffs to families with no or low income who have been the worst-affected by the COV- ID-19 pandemic. "Supporting our community has always been a strategic imperative for Novartis Malta," said Frederik Halberg, General Manager Cy- prus & Malta. "This donation will most certainly support our vision of social responsibility, especially towards those who are most vulnerable during this unfortunate time." "Indeed, when an individual, a couple or a family find them- selves in a crisis – particular- ly one arising from situations where people's income has been slashed due to the pan- demic – we feel that it is our duty to provide aid on a nation- al scale," Halberg said. Halberg also expresses grati- tude to The Malta Trust Foun- dation for their efforts and mission, which is aimed at providing effective relief to so many families in our commu- nity. The funds Novartis Phar- ma Services Inc. Malta utilised were derived from the resourc- es of the COVID-19 Response Fund set up by the global par- ent company, Novartis. The Malta Trust Founda- tion thanked Novartis Pharma Services Inc. Malta for joining an overwhelming number of businesses and individuals who were coming forward to con- tinue sustaining The Food Aid Project, which is helping over 5,000 individuals. The Malta Trust Foundation has also been asked to support some non-profit organisations with food supplies as their resources are overstretched