Cork company launches fundraising campaign to support those affected by Turkey-Syria earthquake

Cork company Musgrave, which owns 11 brands including SuperValu, Centra and Mace, has launched a fundraising campaign to support people impacted by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, as well as donating €100,000 to emergency relief in the area.

From Friday, Musgrave will enable customers of their retail and wholesale brands to donate through a simple ‘tap to donate’ mechanism at the till. The donation drive will last for two weeks.

100 percent of the funds donated will go directly to the Irish Red Cross and UNICEF to help fund the immediate humanitarian response.

Noel Keeley, CEO Musgrave Group, said: “We in Musgrave, along with our customers, colleagues and retail partners have all been deeply saddened by the scale of the humanitarian crisis following the earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Musgrave is immediately contributing €100,000 to the Irish Red Cross and UNICEF to help bring much needed supplies including food, blankets, and medicine to those impacted by this devastating event. We are also encouraging our customers to donate what they can at the till. Working closely with the charities, we will ensure that 100 per cent of the donations go as quickly as possible to help those who need it.” 

 Commenting on the appeal, Deirdre Garvey, Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross said, “We would like to thank the people across the island of Ireland and Musgrave for their generosity and quick response to this crisis. Cash donations allow us to respond as quickly as possible on the ground to ensure the donations can make an impact to those who need it most.”

UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power said: “The children of Syria and Turkey urgently need support. Through this action by Musgrave and their customers, UNICEF will be able to protect more children and deliver critical life-saving support to those affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.” 

 The same system will be available to Daybreak and Musgrave MarketPlace customers in the Republic from Monday, February 13.