Landmark Group, The Jagtiani Foundation, and The LIFE Foundation commit support towards COVID-19 relief efforts in Mumbai

·        Commit over ₹30 Cr. to support communities impacted by COVID-19 across India and Middle East

·         Partnering with the local government authorities and NGOs to serve the most vulnerable communities with food and medical supplies

·         Supporting COVID-19 Relief efforts with ration & food kits for over 43,300 people and over 18,500 medical kits & supplies for hospitals, communities and frontline workers in Mumbai

15 May, 2020, Mumbai: To help meet the critical needs of those severely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Landmark Group – the parent company of retail brands Lifestyle, Max, Home Centre, Easy Buy & SPAR, along with The Jagtiani Foundation - the private philanthropy arm of the Jagtiani Family,  and The LIFE Foundation - a registered trust founded in 2000 by Micky Jagtiani that supports the public education system, have formed a united front to help with the relief efforts in Mumbai and adjoining areas.

Led by the values instilled by the family and the Group’s CSR mission which focuses on the health and wellbeing of local communities, a sum of over ₹30 Crores has been committed towards supporting and empowering those affected by the pandemic in India and the Middle East. In India, the group has committed ongoing support towards COVID-19 relief efforts in Mumbai, Coimbatore/Tiruppur, Bangalore, Delhi, and Chennai.

Launching the first phase of its COVID-19 relief initiative in Mumbai, the group has joined forces with public health partners, non-profit and civic organisations to ensure urgent help for vulnerable communities, providing food rations for local low-income families and daily wage earners.  Relief efforts are focused on providing important resources like medical equipment and supplies to frontline workers in collaboration with partner factories. The group, in Mumbai alone, is contributing food kits, medical kits & supplies for hospitals, communities and frontline workers. The LIFE Foundation, which typically works in over 2,000 anganwadis (childcare centers) and in over 160 schools, has also pivoted its programmes to provide aide to underserved populations and workers on the frontline.

Renuka Jagtiani, Chairwoman and CEO, Landmark Group, said, “The Middle East and India have been home to us for several decades, and therefore we have pooled our resources from the Group & the Jagtiani Foundation to work on ground and support those who have been impacted by the crisis. We have tried to reach people across our value chain and by prioritizing the health and safety of our employees and customers, as well as continuing to engage our partner factories in relief efforts and with communities in garment hubs across India. In addition, we are working closely with accredited NGOs, food banks, and healthcare workers on the frontlines to provide aid to help local communities where we operate in need directly in the GCC and India.

So many people across the globe have been impacted by this pandemic, and our thoughts are with everyone whose lives have been affected.”

Vasanth Kumar, Managing Director - Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd. added "We are driven by the need to support the communities who are facing unprecedented hardships due to COVID-19. We aim to bolster the efforts of NGOs, health care workers, and the local government authorities with our combined network and resources. In Mumbai, with support of NGO partners, we are distributing food & dry ration kits for over 43,300 people and over 18,500 medical kits & supplies for hospitals, communities, and frontline workers. We will continue our community relief efforts for COVID-19 on an ongoing basis”.

Mrs. Poonam Lalvani, Managing Trustee, The LIFE Foundation said, “Since 2001, we’ve been dedicated to empowering youth and marginalized communities through a holistic approach that includes education and health. During these challenging times, we remain committed to our most disadvantaged populations across Mumbai, as well as Thane, Alibag, Chennai, Meghalaya, and Bangalore. To date, we’ve distributed over 100,000kgs of food provisions to vulnerable people, including low-income families and migrant workers. We’re also working to support public hospitals and frontline workers by providing medical supplies, including a recent donation to the paediatric ward ICU in Nair Hospital. We will continue to work tirelessly to serve the community, ensuring we’re agile in responding to daily changing requirements and that we’re truly reaching those in need on the ground.”

An Overview of COVID-19 Relief Efforts by Landmark Group in India

In India, the Group’s brands, alongside The Jagtiani Foundation and The LIFE Foundation have pledged to support and empower affected communities including migrant and garment workers, front-line personnel, low-income families, and other vulnerable individuals.

  

• The Jagtiani Foundation is working directly with government hospitals to provide Personal Protective Equipment and masks to frontline healthcare workers, working with Max India to leverage the Group’s partner factories in India to channel resources through its existing supply chain and working communities. The Foundation is also working with a network of reputed local non-profit organisations, such as Apnalaya, Jan Sahas, Oscar Foundation, SAVE, and READ, to provide access to food for underserved populations including low-income families, daily wage earners, and migrant workers. Since its inception, READ has been working on prevention, protection and rehabilitation for young workers from Textile industries and Garment Units located in & around Tiruppur, Erode, Coimbatore and nearby districts and SAVE, a reputed organisation with its roots in the Tiruppur area in Tamil Nadu, has been one of the pioneers in bringing out the issues of textile and garment workers to the world, and eradicating child labour in Tiruppur. In addition to funding these organisations, the Jagtiani Foundation, as well as The LIFE Foundation have also partnered with SPAR Hypermarkets to ensure good quality rations are made available in the quickest possible manner.  The Foundation, in its first phase, is focusing resources in Mumbai, one of the hardest-hit cities in India, as well as in Coimbatore and Tiruppur, a major textile and knitwear hub contributing to 90% of total cotton knitwear exports from India.

• The LIFE Foundation has dedicated its COVID-19 efforts to providing food rations and hot meals for labourers, villagers, street dwellers, elderly citizens, and children, as well as PPE Kits, sanitizers, masks for frontline workers in police stations, and public hospitals. The LIFE Foundation is also working to provide medical equipment, having recently donated to the pediatric ward ICU Nair Hospital, Mumbai.

• Lifestyle International Private Limited (LIPL) will continue to work with its partner NGOs, pivoting existing programmes to address the immediate needs of those impacted by COVID-19, providing humanitarian relief, and strengthening public health systems. This includes working providing food packs to daily wage earners and migrant workers, as well as medical supplies to government healthcare facilities.