Sands China Supports Macau Holy House of Mercy's Welfare Shop for 12th Straight Year
Sands Cares Ambassadors help distribute food hampers
(Macao, Feb 7, 2024) – Sands China Ltd. made a MOP 300,000 donation to Macau Holy House of Mercy Saturday, marking 12 consecutive years of providing support for the charitable organisation's operating expenses. In addition, around 30 Sands Cares Ambassadors volunteered at Macau Holy House of Mercy's Welfare Shop Saturday, where they helped distribute more than 370 Chinese New Year food hampers to disadvantaged families.
Since 2013, the Welfare Shop has been distributing food and essentials on a monthly basis to several thousand families facing financial difficulties, helping provide relief from the rising cost of living to households from disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Each food hamper contains staple items like rice, noodles, biscuits, canned food, cooking oil, toothpaste, shower gel and others. With this year's hampers, Sands China also gave each family a Chinese New Year gift pack purchased from Fuhong Society of Macau. A "God of Fortune" was also there to hand out sweets and bestow blessings to beneficiary families on site.
"As a member of the Macao community, Sands China is very pleased to continue supporting Macau Holy House of Mercy's Welfare Shop and its food hamper programme, benefiting Macao's vulnerable groups," said Dr. Wilfred Wong, executive vice chairman of Sands China Ltd. "As this year marks the 15th anniversary of our Sands Cares Ambassador programme, we are grateful for our Sands Cares Ambassadors for contributing their time to important community initiatives like the Welfare Shop."
In support of Holy House of Mercy's year-round food hamper initiative, Dr. Wong presented Sands China's ceremonial cheque for MOP 300,000 Saturday to António José de Freitas, president of Macau Holy House of Mercy's General Assembly. Other guests of honour in attendance were Gisela Nunes, secretary general of Holy House of Mercy; Leong Heng Kao, president of the Supervisory Committee of the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau; Leong Wai Fong, vice president and secretary general of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions; and Sam Chongnin, vice president of corporate communications and community affairs for Sands China Ltd.
José de Freitas said: "We would like to express our appreciation to Sands China for their support to Holy House of Mercy for 12 years, organising volunteers to distribute food hampers in an orderly manner and actively fulfilling its corporate social responsibility."
This year's food hamper is part of this year's celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Sands Cares Ambassador programme. Sands China launched the programme in August 2009, becoming the first integrated resort operator in Macao to establish a volunteer team; membership now surpasses 3,300 volunteers from across all of Sands China properties, with 310,000 hours of voluntary works. The programme provides team members with a platform to serve the local community through organising various community activities and engaging in volunteer services, thereby conveying love and care to local disadvantaged groups, contributing to local social development, and helping to establish a harmonious and inclusive community.
Sands China Ltd. considers initiatives like its support of Macau Holy House of Mercy's Welfare Shop as central to its commitment toward social causes and community involvement. The company's community work is part of Sands Cares, the global corporate citizenship programme of parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Photo caption: Sands China Ltd. Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Wilfred Wong presents a cheque for MOP 300,000 to Macau Holy House of Mercy at its Welfare Shop Saturday.
Left to right: Gisela Nunes, secretary general of Holy House of Mercy; Leong Wai Fong, vice president and secretary general of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions; António José de Freitas, president of Macau Holy House of Mercy's General Assembly; Dr. Wong; Leong Heng Kao, president of the Supervisory Committee of the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau; Sam Chongnin, vice president of corporate communications and community affairs for Sands China Ltd.
Photo caption: Sands Cares Ambassadors join guests of honour at Sands China's cheque presentation ceremony at Macau Holy House of Mercy's Welfare Shop Saturday. This year marks Sands China's 12th straight year of supporting the shop's food hamper distribution efforts.
