An application from Grundfos Brazil has secured the Associação Franciscana de Solidariedade (SEFRAS) a grant worth DKK 957,000 (~150,000 USD) to respond to the urgent need arisen from the COVID-19 crisis in Brazil by sponsoring 100,000 meals and 3,300 quarantine kits for vulnerable families.
Colleagues of Grundfos Brazil will also contribute with their time when health restrictions permit them to do so.
“This project responds to an urgent community need that is highly relevant for our Grundfos colleagues. As soon as health restrictions permit, Grundfos colleagues will contribute around eight hours every weekend in the project,” says Flávia dos Santos Moreira, HR Business Partner and in charge of coordinating the activities.
Volunteers help out at SEFRAS’ meal distribution in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Photo: SEFRAS
Helping is a lifestyle for us
The activities have had an unplanned benefit: Grundfos Brazil’s General Manager Juan Jose Garcia Chiesa notes that working together to achieve a major objective has a very positive side-effect on the team.
“Helping others has become a routine, a lifestyle for us. This project unites us in a way that I have never seen before in a team, and it rubs off on our families and business partners too. We have many employees who monthly allocate a fixed amount of their salaries to the project,” he says .
It is estimated that no less than 500 volunteer hours will be contributed by Grundfos staff in combination with the Foundation’s grant.