The SPC Group has always delivered happiness to customers with delicious and healthy food. And in order to take a step further and realize the greater value of coexistence and sharing, we established the SPC Happy Foundation back in 2011. Now after ten years, the SPC Group has continuously operated a variety of systematic social contribution programs to share sweet happiness throughout our society. The genuine goodwill activities have led to making smiles in the faces of many people ranging from local farms to the marginalized classes. Today, we will look back at the traces of social contribution made by SPC Group over the past decade.
Happy Donation Activities of SPC Group
Employee donation program ‘SPC Happy Fund’ and part-timer support program ‘Happy Scholarship’
SPC Group has been continuously engaged in a wide range of donation campaigns to provide financial support for various underprivileged classes. The ‘SPC Happy Fund’ is one of the best-known donation programs. When employees voluntarily donate parts of their monthly salaries, the company matches the amount of the donation to raise funds. These funds are used to provide financial support for producing customized assistance equipment, rehabilitation therapy, skill aptitude education, and to lead cultural lives for disabled children in low-income families through the Purme Foundation, which is an organization specializing in the care and welfare of disabled children. From April 2012 to July of this year, approximately 1.9 billion KRW was extended to a total of 1,235 children with disabilities who benefited from the SPC Happy Fund. SPC Group also plans to pledge a donation of 200 million KRW this year.
Scholarship certificate and flowers being handed over to a student receiving the ‘Happy Scholarship’
‘Happy Scholarship’ is a program aiming to give a gift of a hopeful future for college students who have to work while studying. Among part-timers working at SPC Group franchise stores such as Paris Baguette, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin’, etc. who are currently college students, a total of 200 people is selected annually taking into account their family circumstances, period of work, academic plans, etc. 50% of a semester’s tuition is supported for these part-timers. When including the second semester of this year, about 3.3 billion KRW in scholarships have been paid out to a total of 1,828 part-time workers. Every year, 20 of those selected for the Happy Scholarship serve as ‘Happy Messengers’ to plan and carry out social contribution activities directly. Through this, a virtuous circle of sharing leading to more sharing is being created.
The special emergency disaster relief activities of SPC Group
Medical facilities and alienated neighbors around the country have faced enormous difficulties since the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, SPC Group rolled up its sleeves to support COVID-19 medical staff and welfare blind spots. This was done by delivering bread and water to areas hit hard by COVID-19 and medical staff around the nation over several occasions since March of last year. Meal allowances are being supported using Happy Point for children who are at risk of having to skip meals because of schools being closed due to the spread of COVID-19. A total of 160 million Happy Points was distributed from March of last year to July of this year. Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, SPC Group has continuously taken part in relief activities using its products whenever there were national disasters and emergencies such as typhoons, earthquakes, heavy rainfall, forest fires, fires, heat waves, etc. The total number of products contributed as of current is 400,000 breads and 380,000 bottles of water.
SPC Group donated Samlip Hoppang (steamed buns) to Red Cross hospitals around the nation for medical staff dealing with COVID-19
Reaching Out to Neighbors through Volunteer Activities
SPC Group volunteer activities through the voluntary participation of employees
The employees of the SPC Group deeply sympathize with the corporate philosophy of sharing and coexistence, and it has been sharing warm compassion with our community through sincere volunteer activities. The Employee Blood Donation Campaign is a volunteer program that has been ongoing for over 10 years since 2011 and it has been joined by a total of 1,124 employees and 2,836 blood donation certificates were donated. The blood donation certificates filled with kind and caring spirits are being delivered to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation, Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, Korean Red Cross, etc. to help with the surgery of children in low-income families.
Employees of the SPC Group delivering supplies to a nearby welfare center on the holidays
SPC Group constructed a ‘social contribution application and registration system’ within the company to encourage participation of its employees in volunteer activities and announces regular volunteer activities such as monthly volunteering at welfare center kitchens. Volunteer activities can be freely participated in during working hours according to the work schedule. There is a mood for assertive participation throughout the company, attested by the fact that every year, all of the employees volunteer for six hours or more. In particular, all of the business places have been sponsoring products and cash donations to nearby welfare centers during the major holidays of Lunar New Year and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) since 2003 and have been taking part in relay volunteer activities. They are sharing warm love by spending time with neighbors who are often even more alienated during the holidays. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing activities have continued using contact-free methods. Love was shared through a number of programs such as producing emergency food kits for the most socially disadvantaged, making phone calls to check on people with disabilities that rendering them immobile and having to stay home, and the Rice Jar Filling Out of Love Campaign to provide rice for the neediest.
Creating a World to Live in Harmony with the Disabled
Social contribution projects of the SPC Group offering employment opportunities to the disabled
The greatest welfare for the disabled is giving them the chance to become independent. Since 2012, SPC Group has been pursuing the social contribution project titled ‘Happy Bakery & Cafe’ to help support the disabled become independent and provide employment support together with Seoul Metropolitan City and the Purme Foundation. SPC Group not only provides education on baking skills to people with disabilities, but also consults them about store interior design, equipment, and operational knowhow for franchise stores. Instructors at the SPC Culinary Academy help disabled employees of the Happy Bakery & Cafe earn international SCA coffee certifications by organizing special classes so that they may become professional baristas. Support is offered in various areas such as the Coffee Lab providing consultation on coffee and beverage quality, and the Safe Management Office performing hygiene and safety inspections and education for all stores at least twice a year. Thanks to this, 27 employees with disabilities are making their dreams come true as professionals at nine stores including the Seoul Museum of Craft Art Education Building and Information Building newly opened in September.
Trainees at the SPC&SOUL Happy Bakery Classroom
The ‘SPC&SOUL Happy Bakery Classroom’ is another education program that assists people with disabilities to become independent by learning baking skills. SPC Group is working together with the shelter for people with disability called Aduck House to operate a bakery classroom, while helping with purchasing materials and training employees. Formal baking education was provided for a total of 219 people with disabilities from 2012 to the first half of this year, and 62 of them have become employed at Happy Bakery & Cafe, the bakery production facility ‘Soul Bakery,’ and other confectionery and bakery workshops for the disabled. Bakery education is also held regularly for local high school students and graduates. As of now, a total of 1,396 people with intellectual disabilities received occupational confectionery and bakery training. SPC Group plans to continue supporting the dreams and futures of the disabled through assertive sponsorships and education.
Dreams and Hopes to Growing Children!
‘SPC Happy Birthday Party’ giving the gift of birthday cakes every month to children’s welfare facilities all around the nation
There is a saying that there is no future for countries in which children are not happy. SPC Group holds its special social contribution activity called ‘SPC Happy Birthday Party’ that aims at delivering sweet happiness to children in the most disadvantaged social classes. Birthday party cakes are delivered to 100 children’s welfare facilities every month and one facility is visited to hold a cake-baking class together with the pâtissiers of Paris Baguette. Since first starting this program in 2012, a total of 25,785 cakes were donated to 8,981 facilities around the nation up until last year. And from September 2019, voluntary applications from franchise stores are being accepted to make 1:1 ties with local children’s centers. The local children’s centers that made the ties will receive cakes regularly on a monthly basis. As of August of this year, over 200 franchise stores are sharing in this meaningful activity.
Employees of SPC Group participating in volunteer activities for improving the residential environment of children in the most disadvantaged classes
SPC Group is also engaged in the Disadvantaged Children Residential Environment Improvement Project by teaming up with Habitat for Humanity Korea in order for growing children to develop their dreams healthily in a pleasant home. Every time customers add words of encouragement, shares, and comments through the ‘Sweet Companionship’ campaign within the Happy Point app, SPC Group accumulates 2,000 KRW per case as donations to raise money for the residential environment improvement project. Pleasant spaces and furniture were presented to children who had to live in poor environments through residential environment improvement constructions on two separate occasions this year in March and August. In particular, employees of the SPC Group volunteered at the construction sites to share their warmth. SPC Group will continue to promote a variety of social contribution activities so that children will be able to grow up with a bright smile on their face.
As explained above, SPC Group is doing its best to return the love that is received from customers by sharing it with society. By looking back on our tracks of social contribution over the past decade, we will continue to realize the true value of sharing and coexistence for the next decade and the next century. This is because going beyond the duty of social responsibility and creating a society in which everyone is happy is the value that SPC Group pursues. We ask for your continued support and encouragement on the activities of SPC Group that always takes social contribution seriously!
