IHG Hotels and Resorts is advancing its efforts to combat food insecurity on a global level through a new multi-year partnership with NGO Action Against Hunger.
IHG will help support and fund Action Against Hunger’s nutrition programmes, which been preventing, detecting and treating hunger across East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Asia, the Americas, Middle East and Europe for decades, with a specific focus on screening initiatives designed to spot early signs of malnutrition in children and provide potentially lifesaving treatment.
IHG will also seek to grow awareness of food insecurity among its millions of guests worldwide and give them the opportunity to donate IHG One Rewards points to the cause from Friday August 2, 2024.
Every 10,000 points donated is enough to screen approximately 124 children for malnutrition; and 7,500 points can support a malnourished child with nutritious food for six weeks.
“Food sits at the heart of our hotels and hospitality, nourishing people and communities, and yet sadly we know it remains in desperately short supply for millions of people, despite enough being produced to feed everyone on the planet,” said IHG Hotels and Resorts, CEO, Elie Maalouf.
“This is a problem the world can solve if societies, organisations and businesses work together. IHG Hotels & Resorts is proud to partner with Action Against Hunger on their life saving work, in addition to the many other long-standing partnerships we have with incredible charities in local markets.
“Collectively we want to help create lasting change in a world where people are nourished, always welcome, and always respected.”
Action Against Hunger International Network Chair, Ashwini Kakkar, praised IHG for its efforts on this critical issue.
“While hunger is a widespread challenge, for the first time in human history, we have the ability to end chronic hunger for everyone, for good,” Kakkar said.
“Realising that vision will take bold action and we are grateful for IHG’s will, wisdom and leadership in advancing this vital cause.
“Hunger makes it harder for hundreds of millions of people around the world to learn, work, dream and realise their full potential. IHG’s generous support will help advance our work to create a world where every life is well nourished.”
In Australasia and Pacific, IHG’s partnership with OzHarvest, which first launched in 2019, supports food rescue as well as the education of underprivileged youths through the Nourish program. An annual Stay For Good campaign each September sees in excess of 350,000 meals donated to communities in need, and this year, IHG started the Meet With Purpose campaign which has donated 800,000 meals to those in need to date.