PETALING JAYA (Nov 17): S P Setia Bhd's #Setia4Malaysia campaign, which was kickstarted in August in conjunction with Merdeka and Malaysia Day, has uplifted the Malaysian spirit by spreading good cheer during the pandemic. 

According to a statement on Nov 17, the campaign encompasses four key initiatives centred on corporate social responsibility to highlight the importance of kindness, support the communities in need and engage Team Setia at home. This is in line with its sustainability journey. 

“Six S P Setia event venues across the nation were appointed as Covid-19 vaccination centres (PPVs), of which four being mega PPVs, to facilitate the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme and help the nation reach herd immunity at a faster rate. This was made possible with the continuous support of dedicated frontliners and volunteers who have sacrificed their time to serve the community,” the statement said.

To show gratitude to the PPV frontliners and volunteers, S P Setia Foundation delivered more than 2,300 servings of savoury and sweet Malaysian snacks and desserts to approximately 1,060 frontliners and volunteers of the PPVs in the central region, namely Setia EcoHill Club 360 in Semenyih, Setia Eco Templer Clubhouse in Rawang and Setia City Convention Centre in Setia Alam. This was part of its Setia PPV Heroes initiative that kicked off in August. 

Setia Eco Templer Clubhouse manager Kelly Siew said: “We are proud to have been a PPV venue provider and helped facilitate the vaccinations at Setia Eco Templer Clubhouse. It was a pleasure for Team Setia as well as other volunteers and frontliners from various organisations to have had the opportunity to serve the nation and make the PPV an overall success.”

The Setia PPV Heroes initiative also continued in Penang at the Setia SPICE Arena and Setia SPICE Convention Centre mega PPVs. Snack packs with 4,000 servings of Malaysian sweet and savoury desserts and snacks were distributed to approximately 800 frontliners and volunteers there.

The snack packs were purchased from F&B microenterprises among the B40 community whose source of income were affected by the prolonged lockdown.

S P Setia also collaborated with EdgeProp Malaysia to initiate the Caring Community Campaign with the theme “Alongside our B40s”. Businesses have struggled to keep afloat during the pandemic, so this campaign aimed to provide financial support to B40 F&B microenterprises in the Klang Valley and Penang. 

The campaign included a 13-day nomination in August whereby fellow Malaysians could participate and show their support by nominating B40 microenterprises that needed a helping hand. 

More than 130 B40 microenterprises were nominated and among them, 25 were shortlisted. Each of the selected microenterprises will be sponsored RM500 to upgrade their businesses, and for six months, S P Setia will continue to purchase food from them to be donated to nearby underprivileged homes.

“I am truly grateful to receive the sponsorship as it has been a tough time for all businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. With this, I can now upgrade my catering business by purchasing more raw ingredients, materials and kitchen utensils. I also plan to share the support I receive from this sponsorship by preparing meals for the communities in need here,” said one of the shortlisted microenterprise owners from Penang, Siti Noor Hafizah Suhaili.

S P Setia also launched its very first virtual #Setia4Malaysia Unity Run on Merdeka Day which received an overwhelming response as tickets were sold out within the first two weeks, with more than 1,500 running enthusiasts from across the nation participating. 

The virtual unity run was organised to promote a healthier and more united Malaysia amidst the lockdown and travel restrictions. From Sept 16 to Oct 16, runners completed an accumulated 5km or 21km run, each within the spaces of their neighbourhoods. This resulted in a total distance of almost 47,000km by the end of the event.

Also in the spirit of Merdeka and Malaysia Day, S P Setia employees remotely participated in its Truly Malaysian Masterchef cooking activity, where participants were provided a mystery cooking kit completed with ingredients and recipes to prepare a well-loved Malaysian dessert. 

Approximately 120 staff members participated in this activity and made Malaysian desserts such as apam kukus, sago gula melaka, coconut candy or tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) with their loved ones at home.