Bermudian-based drinks company Bacardi Ltd has donated more than 3,000 food items, in addition to grocery vouchers, to local bartenders hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The family-owned company said the effort is part of its global #RaiseYourSpirits programme, which launched in March as the pandemic caused closures of bars and restaurants overnight.

Bermuda is the global headquarters of Bacardi and since the start of the pandemic, the company has supported the local bartending community with more than 900 grocery vouchers, free virtual training, and access to other resources, including Bacardi Assist, a service that offers free and confidential counselling on a variety of topics such as parenting, mental health and work challenges, a spokeswoman said.

Douglas Mello, managing director of the Bacardi office in Bermuda, said: “This has been a year like no other when members of our community have lost their livelihood and we are committed to help our industry through this crisis.”

He added: “The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for those out of work and we want to help families come together over one of the most important ‘moments that matter’, a holiday meal.

“This is our way of saying thank you to the bartenders who have always supported our brands and to help bring some holiday cheer to families across the island.”

A socially-distanced drive-through, hosted at the Bacardi Ltd global headquarters on Pitts Bay Road in Pembroke, saw more than 300 bartenders collect hampers, in the form of a reusable canvas shopping bag, that were put together by Bacardi volunteers.

The hampers were filled with goods to help prepare a Christmas meal, along with grocery vouchers to provide additional necessities.

Starting in 2021, Bacardi, in partnership with CADA has committed to subsidise 75 per cent of the recertification costs for TIPS training for more than 300 bartenders, the spokeswoman said.