ECGC Donates EC$30,000 to the National Community Foundation in St. Lucia
As the East Caribbean Group of Companies (ECGC) continues its concerted and persistent effort to expand opportunities for the education and health care of the needy and vulnerable people within the Vincentian society and the OECS, the company has extended its charitable giving to St. Lucia.
At a press conference held on May 16th, 2018, at the Department of Commerce Conference Room, Waterfront, Castries, the CEO of ECGC and Chairman of the ECGC Foundation, Mr. Osmond Davy, made the disclosure that ECGC was quite pleased to make the donation of EC $30,000 to the National Community Foundation (NCF); as the NCF continues to address problems of insufficient resources for education, food, housing and health in St. Lucia.
According to Mr. Davy, ECGC has had a fruitful relationship with St. Lucia for over thirty years, and his company continues to build with the government and people of St. Lucia in the area of corporate social responsibility. Mr. Davy further stated that there exists a symbiotic relationship between St. Lucia and St. Vincent, as St. Lucia accounts for a large part of their export market; hence the decision to make this island the first, after St. Vincent, to benefit from the ECGC Foundation.
The Director of Investment Co-Ordination within the Department of Commerce in St. Lucia, Ms. Nancy Francis, confirmed Mr. Davy’s statement when she too stressed that “for many decades, Saint Lucia had enjoyed fruitful relations with ECGC which had contributed to the sustainable development and growth of our economy.” She also said that “through the procurement of bulk rice and flour from this regional partner, St. Lucia has been able to sustain the livelihood of our businesses in the food industry which is a key economic sector for St. Lucia. Moreover, through technical assistance initiatives provided by the ECGC, such as, training of bakers, we have seen an improvement in the quality of the products manufactured by our bakers.”
The Minister for Health and Wellness in St. Lucia, Senator the Honourable Mary Isaac, in her remarks stated that, “the 4th sustainable goal focuses on education and despite getting the much needed attention, there is always the issue of lack of funding, and therefore, corporate social responsibility is encouraged”.
Mr. Davy went on to reassure St. Lucia and St. Lucians that the NCF is the first of three organizations in which the ECGC Foundation will partner with on the island. The other two are the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and the UWI Open Campus – both of these institutions focus on education.
In making reference to his earlier discussions with these stakeholders about three weeks ago, Mr. Davy said that this event today shows that ECGC is walking the talk.
The ECGC Foundation was incorporated in May 2017 and is funded directly by the company itself and donations of Director’s fees from the Maple Leaf Foods Directors of the East Caribbean Group of Companies.
The National Community Foundation and by extension St. Lucia, commends the ECGC corporate social initiative to support the health sector and enable the social development of their nation.