OURFARM and IKHLAS help shine some light on 220 B40 families this Deepavali

Photo Caption: Representatives from OURFARM, IKHLAS and volunteers from other social enterprises joined hands for Project #Food4B40 Deepavali initiative.

OURFARM, a business-to-business (B2B) agriculture e-commerce platform owned by airasia Digital and IKHLAS, airasia.com’s Muslim-friendly line of business joined hands last weekend to help 220 B40 families in the spirit of Deepavali.

Dubbed as Project #Food4B40 Deepavali, it was a social goodwill collaboration among OURFARM, IKHLAS and several other social enterprises. Coordinated by Masala Wheels, the programme was supported by Yayasan Hasanah, a foundation under Khazanah Nasional.

Under the project, families from the B40 community have been identified to receive over 500kg of fresh vegetables and 220 food packs to add more cheer and joy as they prepare for the festive celebrations.

Distributions were made to families residing in People's Housing Projects including PPR Laksamana, PPR Batu Muda, PPR Kepong, PPR Jinjang and Pangsapuri Melati Bukit Subang in the Klang Valley.

Photo Caption: (Right) Lalitha Sivanaser, CEO of OURFARM distributing fresh produce to one of the families.

Lalitha Sivanaser, CEO of OURFARM said: “We are happy to be helping these families, many of whom may not have been able to celebrate Deepavali this year, especially those vulnerable communities affected by the pandemic. This is in keeping with the idea of OURFARM, which was established at the early stage of the MCO to help local farmers and agriculture producers to continue with their businesses. We understand that the pandemic is not just impacting the economy as a whole but also individuals and communities. We hope by extending our helping hand, we are able to put a bigger smile on their faces this festive season. We would like to thank IKHLAS for partnering with us and the rest of the social enterprises, especially Masala Wheels and Drop & Wash for giving us the opportunity to supply these communities with fresh produce at their time of need. These efforts were not just about helping individual households but also the farmers at the same time and we hope to support more of such initiatives, especially during these challenging times.”

Photo Caption: Representatives from OURFARM and IKHLAS distributing food pack and fresh produce to one of the families.

Ikhlas Kamarudin, Head of IKHLAS said: “Deeply rooted in the IKHLAS philosophy is the practice of Amal Jariah, where charity goes beyond the giving of money but also time and effort. As an important aspect in every human's life, we aim to support those who are in need through our brand and platform regardless of their social background and religious belief. We are humbled by this opportunity and proud to be able to support this initiative while celebrating our unity as a nation.”

The initiative is in line with OURFARM’s support towards ESG (Environmental Social and Corporate Governance), under which they have partnered with Masala Wheels in the last two months to supply fresh produce to the social enterprise with the aim of not only feeding the community but also empowering it.

Similarly, IKHLAS has assisted over 15,000 families nationwide impacted by the pandemic since April 2020 through its first digital donation drive ‘Give With IKHLAS’. Recently, IKHLAS has also launched ‘IKHLAS For Sabah’ their latest digital donation drive to extend a helping hand to hard-hit communities in Sabah due to the pandemic.