Following is the seventh in a series of articles featuring companies’ social contribution activities. ― Ed.


SPC Group, a leading food company that runs bakery franchises such as Paris Croissant and Paris Baguette, has been making consistent efforts to support disabled children and underprivileged people.

Since May this year, each SPC Group employee has donated 1,000 won per month, matched by the company for a fund, to contribute to Purme Foundation which supports disabled children. The money will be used for the children’s rehabilitation treatment, emergency operations and for purchasing rehabilitation equipment.

SPC Group delivered its first donation of 10 million won ($8,900) to Purme Foundation in southwestern Seoul in early May as it launched the campaign.

The group’s labor union also promised to take part in the donation campaign, making it a rare model of a corporate program in which labor and management join hands to give back to society.

Since March 2012, SPC Group set the fourth Friday of each month as “Happy Friday” on which company staff pays visits to neglected people to offer gifts or share talents. 

To make the volunteer activities more systematic, SPC Group established ties with volunteer organizations in 15 regions across the country on May 31.

The 15 volunteer groups including Daebang Community Welfare Center, Songam Children’s Home, Somang Rehabilitation Center and Busrugy Sharing Community have worked with the employees of Paris Croissant (Paris Baguette), BR Korea (Baskin Robins, Dunkin Donuts), Samlip General Food and other SPC affiliates to give out free meals and run baking classes.

Through the “Happy Friday” program every month, SPC Group is building a culture of sharing and volunteer work.

Salip General Food has concentrated on exchanges with the community and looking after neglected people.

Since December 2011, the food company’s employees have visited homeless people and senior citizens who live alone each month to provide steamed buns and winter clothes during the winter and meals during other seasons.

On Feb. 28 this year, Samlip employees, together with children at a social welfare center, stacked up bread in the shape of a house and gave each of them the presents they wanted.

Samlip General Food has been making visits to neglected people every month as a key part of its social contribution program.

Since last year, the bakery franchise Paris Baguette has unfolded a social contribution program in which it joined hands with owners of the franchise shops to help out local communities.

Through the end of January, 38 shop owners and 162 SPC employees visited various people in need of help to offer their products to the poor, hold free baking classes and provide briquettes for heating.

On Feb. 21, owners of 17 shops in Seoul’s Gangnam area and about 20 SPC employees visited 22 children’s welfare center to offer 5,000 pieces of bread as snacks.

Paris Baguette has also set up Salvation Army charity pots in shops nationwide in the year-end since 2006 to support the underprivileged.

Last year, they collected donations through “Salvation Army in the Summer” campaign to built facilities so children in Zambia can drink clean, fresh water.

SPC Group also holds baking classes for the disabled at a center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

About 10 disabled people are trained to be professional bakers and baristas there.

SPC Group plans to open a bakery where they will work in the end of September.

SPC Group inked an agreement with Korea Food Bank on Sept. 10 to send truckloads of Paris Baguette, Paris Croissant, Samlip and Shany bread to people in need.

Through the program, SPC employees plan to deliver about 250,000 loaves of bread, or about 1,000 on daily average, to social welfare centers and rural areas.

Baskin Robbins sends “Pink Cars” full of ice cream to places recommended on its Facebook page.

Last year, it held ice cream parties in schools and welfare centers in rural regions.

SPC Group has received a number of awards for its participation in the Food Bank project to undernourished children, senior citizens who live alone and the disabled.

It also offers scholarships for college students who work at Paris Baguette, Baskin Robbins or Dunkin Donut shops.

SPC selects around 100 students each year to provide half of their tuition at the direction of SPC Group chairman Hur Young-in who said the students’ dreams should be supported.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)