Macau casino concessionaire Sands China Ltd held its annual “Sands Cares Global Food Kit Build” in early July, with nearly 450 volunteers assembling a record 5,000 food kits for distribution to people in need in Macau.
The event marked the fifth consecutive year the casino operator has staged the initiative locally. The food kits will be distributed through Caritas Macau to elderly residents, low-income families and other underprivileged groups.
According to the company, this year’s event “set new records in both the number of participants and the number of food kits assembled”.
The initiative received support from Macau’s Social Welfare Bureau and Health Bureau. Participants included members of local social-service organisations, Sands Cares Ambassador volunteers, Sands China employees, and senior executives from Sands China’s parent, U.S.-based Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Patrick Dumont, chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands and chairman of Sands China, attended the event and helped assemble food kits alongside volunteers from 34 Sands China departments and community organisations.
In a statement, Mr Dumont said the initiative reflected the group’s long-term commitment to Macau, where it has operated for more than two decades.
“As the initiative marks its fifth year in Macau, and its largest edition to date, our group’s management has returned to Macau to join Sands China team members and community partners in assembling 5,000 food kits,” Mr Dumont stated.
He added: “Together with efforts across our other operating regions, this initiative will generate 51,000 food kits worldwide this year. This spirit of community service has brought us together as one family, enabling us to make an even greater impact for communities.”
The 5,000 kits assembled in Macau weigh a combined 30 tonnes and each contains 11 food items sourced from local small- and medium-sized enterprises, per the announcement.
The packages also include soup packs donated by Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society, as well as healthy recipe cards developed jointly by Caritas Macau and Sands China’s food and beverage team, with input from Macau’s Health Bureau nutritionists to promote healthy eating, Sands China stated.
Caritas Macau secretary general, Paul Pun Chi Meng, said the expanded programme would allow the organisation to assist more vulnerable residents, noting the long-running partnership with Sands China demonstrated the value of cooperation between businesses and social welfare organisations.
“This caring initiative represents not only material support but also a heartfelt expression of the community’s care for vulnerable groups,” Mr Pun said. “The long-term partnership between Sands China and Caritas highlights the value of collaboration between corporations and social welfare organisations in building a caring community.”
All food kits assembled this year will be delivered – during July and August – by Sands Cares Ambassadors to 34 Caritas Macau care homes and centres across multiple districts.
“Caritas Macau will then distribute them to elderly residents and underprivileged groups in the community, ensuring that both food supplies and care reach those in need in Macau,” according to the release.
Launched in 2022 by Las Vegas Sands, the Sands Cares Global Food Kit Build is held annually in the regions where the group has a presence, including Macau, Singapore, and Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.
Sands China said it has prepared nearly 17,000 food kits for the Macau community since launching the local initiative. The company added that more than 4,000 employees have joined its Sands Cares Ambassador volunteer programme since its establishment in 2009, contributing more than 362,000 hours of community service.
