The COVID-19 pandemic is a trying time for all us with charity organisations particularly hard hit as contributions from corporate donors and the public have reduced.
Ayam Brand™, famed for its quality, no preservatives and no added MSG, healthy and convenient canned food, is here for Malaysians with the return of the Ayam Brand Community Care Campaign 2021. Themed #AyamBersamaMu, it promotes healthier lifestyle choices through the 3S concept of the Malaysian Healthy Plate, nurtures livelihoods through the #AyamFutureCreator program while contributing two months’ supply of Ayam Brand products to participating homes.
This year’s campaign is fully virtual and SOP-compliant for the health and safety of all participants, allowing experts dietitians from KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital and 18 year old entrepreneur and well-known content creator Arianna Natasha of Arianna Kitchen to interact with children in all states.
It will aid and educate 1,500 children from 32 charity homes nationwide while providing them with more than 230,000 healthy Ayam Brand meals. This includes 172 children from Pusat Jagaan Hajjah Fatimah Abdullah, , Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Bimbingan At Taqwa, Persatuan Rumah Sayangan, Persatuan Rumah Kanak – Kanak Di Sayangi, and Lighthouse Children Welfare Home Assoc.
According to Ayam Brand™ General Manager Ms Chin Lee Foon, the CSR campaign which is now in its fourteenth year has contributed more than 2 million healthy meals to more than 25,000 people from 539 charity homes and NGOs.
“More Malaysians are now focused on healthier lifestyles with many of us enjoy making our own meals. The Ayam Brand team considered this in creating the #AyamBersamaMu campaign so that it is timely, relevant and useful to all participants giving them expert advice on better diets and inspiring them to be future content creators, while providing tangible support of two months’ supply of our products for each participating home. In addition, #AyamFutureCreator participants stand to win a total of RM6,000 in Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) SSPN saving plans,” Ms Chin explains.
Each participating home has received an #AyamBersamaMu starter kit of kitchen utensils, lighting, and filming accessories as well as Ayam Brand products for their journey towards becoming future creators. The two months’ supply of products include kids’ favourites that are high in protein and rich in Omega-3 namely Ayam Brand Tuna Mild and Spicy, Ayam Brand Saba Deli Natural and Ayam Brand Baked Bean Cheese.
Ayam Brand emphasizes the contribution of its canned fish products as many charity homes lack regular access to fish such as tuna and saba that are a good source of Omega-3, which is an essential fatty acid that our body cannot produce. Omega-3 may help to prevent coronary heart disease, promote healthy nerve activity, improve vitamin absorption, maintain a healthy immune system and promote cell development. Omega 3 is also important in the development of vision and brain among children.
The KPJ Damansara’s Dietetic Services team are providing a virtual workshop on the Malaysian Healthy Plate popularly known as #SukuSukuSeparuh that recommends each daily meal to consist of a quarter protein, a quarter complex carbohydrates and half of fruits and vegetables, in portions based on the individual’s palm, fist and cupped palm size. This easy to visualize guide can be a guide for lifelong healthy eating.
“Prevention is better than cure, we are committed to reaching out to the community and sharing vital health knowledge. Teaching the young about living a healthy life helps to create a healthier nation for the future especially during the pandemic. #SukuSukuSeparuh is easy for children and adults to grasp to follow for a healthier lifestyle,” says Ms Rushda Adiba Ismail, Dietitian at KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital.
The Ayam Brand Show Us Your Healthy Plate competition saw teams from each home, assembling healthy meals based on #SukuSukuSeparuh guides. The top three teams for each state will receive trophies, certificates of participation and customised lunchboxes.
Arianna Natasha, the 18-year-old founder of Arianna Kitchen and self-taught content creator has almost 400,000 Instagram followers proved an excellent mentor for the children through the easily relatable #AyamFutureCreator workshop session.
“I wish there had been a program like this when I started as a content creator. Content creation is hard work that requires skill, patience, and creativity. It can be a good career and the start of an online business for these kids, providing them with livelihood through the #AyamFutureCreator program,” Arianna shares, adding that Ayam Brand sandwiches were among the earliest snacks she learned how to prepare for herself as a child. “It is amazing that I’m working with one of my favourite food brands and get to mentor others.”
The #AyamFutureCreator competition requires teams of children to create a 1 to 3 minute cooking video using Ayam Brand products, using #SukuSukuSeparuh Malaysian Healthy Plate principles, based on the tutorial by Arianna. The kids will need to film, edit, tag, hashtag and promote the video on social media to hone their skills as content creators. Arianna, the Ayam Brand team and the KPJ Damansara Dietetic team will decide on the winners, who stand to win a total of RM6,000 in PTPTN SSPN saving plans.
“We have not had events since the pandemic began as we follow SOPs closely. The kids have been so excited by the #AyamBersamaMu virtual event. They enjoyed the #SukuSukuSeparuh workshop, even the adults found it very useful for our own meal planning. They loved the #AyamFutureCreator workshop because all of them would like to be famous content creators. Our thanks to Ayam Brand™ for supporting NGOs for many years. We are glad to be selected because the two months’ supply of products will see us through times like these when donations are scarce. Our thanks to Ayam Brand™ for always being with us and caring for the community,” explains Mrs Norhayati of Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Bimbingan At Taqwa.
“I need to eat more vegetables, fruits, protein and Omega-3 to be healthy and grow tall and strong. I think I can win the #AyamFutureCreator competition, and start my own business like Kak Ary. Thank you Ayam Brand for helping me become a future creator!” says one of the participants.
To find out more about the #AyamBersamaMu CSR campaign and #AyamFutureCreator program visit https://www.ayambrand.com.my or join https://www.facebook.com/ayambrandmalaysia.