HSBC staff have teamed up with The Eliza DoLittle Society (TEDS), the Anglican Cathedral and The Salvation Army to fight a battle aimed at reducing hunger in Bermuda.

From October through to last month, the bank took part in its first bank-wide, team-based volunteering programme comprising between 10 and 15 employees, who helped provide food for the needy.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays of each week, one team of volunteers cooked and prepared meals which were subsequently served by two other HSBC teams of volunteers, to those in need at either the Salvation Army or Anglican Cathedral locations. “The concept for this initiative evolved from HSBC’s discussions with TEDS where a need in the community for additional morning feeding programmes was identified,” said a spokesperson.

“Thanks to the additional HSBC resources and the partnership with TEDS, the Anglican Cathedral has been able to add Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to their regular Monday and Thursday sessions.”

Mark Watkinson, CEO, HSBC Bermuda said: “This volunteering initiative was three-fold. It identified and addressed a need in our community; it allowed the Bank to strengthen its relationships with its third sector partners; and offered our entire workforce the opportunity to get out the office for some fun and meaningful team-building.

Some 84 per cent of our employees volunteered through the feeding programme, demonstrating their commitment to the community. I am particularly proud of their efforts. We hope to continue working together with our charitable partners to further evolve the feeding programme over the coming months.”

Clesia Pachai, Community Investment Manager, HSBC Bermuda added: “Over the programme’s four month duration, bank personnel contributed over 1,200 volunteer hours towards this initiative and through successful collaboration with its charitable partners, were able to provide a hot meal to an estimated 1,100 members of our community.

“Although there is still more work to be done to further address the ever-growing issue of hunger in Bermuda, we are optimistic that through collaborative efforts such as this, we are able to help fortify our island’s societal health.”

Jennifer Mahoney, executive director of The Eliza DoLittle Society, said:” It has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside the management and staff of HSBC on this very important initiative. The HSBC teams really rose to the challenge by exhibiting enthusiasm, empathy and many going the extra mile to make the meals memorable for the clients.

“The programme has enabled us to reach hundreds of HBSC employees and educate them on what our organisation does, how we impact the community, and how they can help further if they are so inclined. The programme provided hundreds of meals that otherwise would not have been available, and for that both myself and our clients are extremely thankful. We look forward to working with HSBC on future initiatives.”

Breakfast is available to the community at the Cathedral of Most Holy Trinity on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am to 11am. For a list of the various feeding centres, contact the TEDS office at 333-4483 or by e-mailing teds.director@gmail.com