HOUSTON and ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Oct. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LyondellBasell hosted its 21st Annual Global Care Day with a focus on food security. More than 80 LyondellBasell manufacturing facilities and office sites participated in the global event supporting 87 organizations. Recognizing the need brought forth by COVID-19, LyondellBasell doubled down on its efforts to support food security, following the company's charitable contributions made earlier in the year to local food banks around the world. The goal of this year's event was to leverage LyondellBasell's global footprint to make a difference in local communities.
"Finding creative solutions to today's challenges is what we do as a company, and our annual Global Care Day event is no different," said Bob Patel, LyondellBasell CEO. "Cancelling our volunteer events in the communities where our employees live and work was not an option, especially when the needs for a steady food supply are high and spirits are low. It was important to us to continue moving forward to help those who need it most."
Hosting a global event during a pandemic can present a few challenges, but months of preparation leading up to the big day proved successful. Employees and their families were offered two options to volunteer – virtually or in-person. With the health and safety of volunteers at the forefront, LyondellBasell event coordinators implemented a series of COVID-19 precautions including ensuring volunteers could safely socially distance, eliminating the potential for congregating and mandating the wearing of facial coverings.
Below are a few examples of LyondellBasell's Global Care Day projects that took place around the world:
Morris, Illinois
Volunteers built two pop-up micro food pantries in the area for local residents to both stock up and sustain the micro pantry and take items as needed.
Houston, Texas
LyondellBasell Tower employees volunteered at the Houston Food Bank, which distributes food and other essentials to those in need through a network of 1,500 community partners. Volunteers sorted, cleaned, donated and packaged food at the Houston Food Bank to help support the community.
Singapore, Singapore
Practicing social distance, employees spent time in the kitchen at Willing Hearts, a soup kitchen that makes, cooks and distributes daily meals to local residents. Chopping fresh vegetables, organizing ingredients for meals and assisting with cleaning, employees helped kitchen staff prepare meals for distribution.
Wesseling, Germany
A run took place to help Die Arche Kinderstiftung, an organization in Germany that helps support socially disadvantaged children. Over 600 runners participated and choose their own individual running route. Money was contributed to the organization based on employee's participation. All money raised went toward providing funding for lunch, home-work help, after school activities and holiday camps for the children.
Other LyondellBasell Global Safety Day projects included building micro food pantries, stocking shelves at local food pantries, collecting food donations, and organizing drive-through food banks for individuals in need.
SOURCE LyondellBasell Industries
