‘Share a Meal’ this Christmas with Barista

From left: SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka Manager Corporate Partnerships Nipunika Ruhunage, SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka Assistant Director Head of Fund Development Gayantha Dalpadado, SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka National Director Divakar Ratnadurai, Barista General Manager Dilupa Pathirana, Barista Marketing Manager Anushka Gunatilleke and Barista Brand Executive Mithma Samaraweera

This year has been a difficult one to say the least. With Christmas around the corner many lesser privileged communities among us are finding it even harder to make ends meet, leave alone celebrate the season. Amongst the worst-affected as it is with all pandemics are children. 

The true meaning of Christmas is centred on giving, and this year Sri Lanka’s largest and most sought-after coffee house chain Barista is partnering with the SOS Children’s Villages, Sri Lanka to help feed 865 children under their care. 

SOS Children’s Villages is present in 136 countries with over 70 years of expertise in caring for children without parental care. Not only this, the organisation strengthens poverty-stricken families on the verge of breaking down and empowers youth in need through career-oriented vocational training via many of its projects. In Sri Lanka, SOS Children’s Villages have served the public for almost 40 years since it first set foot in Sri Lanka in 1981. 

There are six SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka located in Piliyandala, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Anuradhapura, Monaragala, and Jaffna. However, the coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected donations which this organisation depends on to care for children without parental care. Therefore, SOS Children’s Villages is reaching out in every possible way it can to get help in caring for such children in Sri Lanka.  

SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka National Director Divakar Ratnadurai speaking on the partnership said, “SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka is happy to have Barista Café as our corporate partner on board. We sincerely appreciate the efforts made by our corporate partners to make better and brighten the lives of our children at SOS Children’s Villages. I am looking forward to a long-lasting relationship between Barista Café and SOS Children’s Villages that will contribute positively to society by providing a happy and healthy childhood for children of today who are the generation of tomorrow.” 

“While being the largest international coffee chain in Sri Lanka, we have a corporate responsibility towards the community at large, and we firmly believe together we can enact positive change as our business goals are always beyond mere profit margins. With the ‘Share a Meal’ campaign for December, we intend to create awareness and build a more reliable, user-friendly and acceptable platform to gather our community to support and help our children who are in need,” said Barista General Manager Dilupa Pathirana. 

Under the project Barista will have tokens available at all of their outlets for purchase. Each token is valued at just Rs. 150 which is sufficient to feed a child for an entire day. The total value of tokens purchased at the end of December will be handed over to the SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka.

Taking the project even further, Barista will also allocate 10% from every item purchased off the Christmas Menu during the month of December and add it to the final tally. This extends the charitable cause to all of Barista’s patrons as well.

To make the ‘Share a Meal’ coupons more accessible, patrons who wish to support the cause are able to purchase the coupons through PickMe Food and Uber Eats, which give them the convenience of donating while at home. Further, those who wish to donate or require additional information may call 0712 38 38 38 or make inquiries at any Barista outlet.