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Like-minded community serving partners start another stage of charity programme

7-Eleven is committed to the community by supporting Pei Ho Counterparts financially and in personnel

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Hong Kong’s leading convenience store chain 7-Eleven renews its collaboration with Pei Ho Counterparts to provide free meals to the less privileged groups most impacted in these testing times

Serving Hong Kong for more than four decades, 7-Eleven has become one of the most recognised retailers across the city’s neighbourhoods. It offers round-the-clock conveniences to the population and pledges to play an active, good corporate citizen role by helping those in need.

Since 2017, for example, the franchise has supported Pei Ho Counterparts, a social enterprise associated with distributing free meals to the underprivileged in some of Hong Kong’s neediest districts. To date, 7-Eleven has donated a total of 250,000 free meal boxes, water, and goodie bags to the conscientious social enterprise, benefitting groups such as the homeless, the elderly, and struggling families.

Recently, 7-Eleven announced its continued collaboration with Pei Ho Counterparts in a new Sik Tak Fan La campaign. Literally, “the meal is ready” in Cantonese, the new campaign aims to raise HK$2 million for the social enterprise. The sum will support the organisation’s work in providing free meals and supplies for the less privileged communities most in need on a more regular basis.

Mobilising 7-Eleven network and resources

By making the most of its robust, 1000-plus store network, 7-Eleven is well positioned to create a synergetic effect within individual neighbourhoods. The company’s network makes a compelling case for engaging the broader community in support of the campaign that is for a good cause. 

“As part of the Hong Kong community and as an organisation that prioritises corporate social responsibility, we are committed to contributing to society,” said Choo Peng-chee, chief executive officer of DFI Retail North Asia, the operator of Hong Kong’s leading convenience store chain. 

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe impact, especially among grassroots citizens. 7-Eleven and Pei Ho Counterparts share the same belief. We are inspired by Ming Gor’s dedication to serving the community and have partnered with Pei Ho Counterparts since 2017. With 7-Eleven’s extensive store network, we believe we can create a stronger bond with the neighbourhoods we serve and make a real difference with the launch of this year-long CSR programme that targets to raise HKD$2,000,000 for Pei Ho Counterparts.”

DFI Retail Group is a leading Pan-Asian multi-brand retailer with a significant presence across key economies in Asia. The group’s deep-rooted Corporate Social Responsibility practices feature three focus areas, namely (i) serving communities, (ii) sustaining the planet, and (iii) sourcing responsibly. The group’s many Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives represent a continuation of a tradition that dates to the group’s first years in the 1880s.

The group’s visionary founder, physician and scientist Dr Patrick Manson was determined to provide the people of Hong Kong with a ready supply of hygienic, affordable, and above all, fresh milk. Thus, Hong Kong’s first dairy farm was born; the rest is history.

Therefore, the Sik Tak Fan La campaign is the latest initiative of the group serving communities for the benefit of those in need. Under the campaign, 7-Eleven will donate 50 cents to Pei Ho Counterparts for every designated 7-SELECT meal box sold in any 7-Eleven store in Hong Kong for 365 days. The campaign has already started, so for people who wish to play a part in helping the less privileged community, all they need to remember is that a 7-Eleven store is near them.

7-Eleven knows the importance of showing gratitude for the support it receives from the public. Customers will receive a “thank you” receipt from the outlet every time they purchase the designated 7-SELECT meal box. In addition, on the 11th day of each month, 7-Eleven will increase the donation from 50 cents to HK$1 for each meal box sold. 

To further engage the wider public, a dedicated website is up and running (http://711donation.com/) to show the number of meal boxes sold and the real-time amount of donations. This little piece of information allows everyone to keep track of the campaign’s progress.

The founder of Pei Ho Counterparts, Chan Cheuk-ming, also known as “Ming Gor,” is grateful for 7-Eleven’s ongoing support for the social enterprise while praising the hands-on approach of the company’s volunteer team.

A source of reliable relief

“The donations raised by Sik Tak Fan La will be an important, stable and ongoing source of support for our daily operations and enable us to give greater help to the community,” said Chan, who sees the campaign as a relief in the face of ever-growing costs and the increasing need of the social enterprise’s services. 

Chan’s account concerning the increasing need for the services is accurate. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven notes that roughly one in four individuals can be categorised as “poor.” The latest statistics compiled by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Government reveal that based on “purely theoretical assumption,” and before policy intervention, the poverty rate of the city’s population was 23.6 per cent in 2020.

According to the Census and Statistics Department, the income threshold to define poor households are households with income below the poverty line. The poverty line is drawn up for each group of families of the same size and is defined as 50 per cent of that household size group’s median monthly household income. For indication purposes, the poverty line for one-person and two-person households is HK$4,400 and HK$9,500, respectively, in the statistics. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to affect the general population in Hong Kong, it is believed the low-income and disadvantaged groups are suffering more. A joint effort of two organisations sharing a common belief to serve the community better, the Sik Tak Fan La campaign is a timely relief for people severely affected in these testing times. 

The 7-Eleven volunteers spread love and care by distributing supplies and fresh meals to the ones in need before this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival
The 7-Eleven volunteers spread love and care by distributing supplies and fresh meals to the ones in need before this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival