Crompton leads with a beacon of hope in tough times

Ask Shaheen Mohammad Ansari, a 14 year-old, about hunger. She knows the pangs well. Her family of four had no money to buy basic dry rations because their income dried up when the coronavirus pandemic hit. The teenager kept praying for a miracle which would give her family access to food so that all of them could satiate their hunger. Her prayers were answered when she and her family became among the first to benefit from the partnership between The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd, through which families like hers got hot and nutritious meals.

With hunger having become more prominent during the pandemic, starvation and malnutrition became more serious for the economically-challenged sections of society. Crompton, with a brand legacy of 75-plus years, tied up with Akshaya Patra and sponsored 90,000 hygienic, nutritious and freshly-cooked meals to the affected communities across Vadodara in Gujarat, near its manufacturing facility in Padra. The children were also provided ‘Happiness Boxes’, consisting of immunity, hygiene and education materials, for a month to ensure that they have access to basic nutrition and education.

Crompton, which began its collaboration with Akshaya Patra in October 2019, provided constant support to mid-day meals for 7,000-plus children in 41 government schools close to it plant. This has resulted in the highest number of working school days recorded during the first three months of the current year.

Several of the company’s factory workers also have children attending these government schools, who too have thus benefitted from the mid-day meals. Crompton also provided lighting solutions for the upcoming kitchen facilities of the Akshaya Patra in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

The company says it believes firmly in giving back to the society which led to its growth - and communicates the same message to its employees, encouraging them to contribute their time too. Earlier this year, in February 2020, employees from Crompton visited the beneficiary schools as well as Akshaya Patra’s kitchens. They engaged in various comprehensive activities with the children and conducted art activities based on the theme of ‘Save Water, Save Earth’. They also distributed stationery kits and academic materials to the children to help them in their education.

This experience acted as a stimulus to sensitise the employees, who got an opportunity to come closer to various social causes, and will determine their contribution in the future as well. The company management and employees alike look forward to deepening their engagement with the Akshaya Patra team and supporting them to create a bigger impact.