Community is the cornerstone upon which we are built and the Family Fund is our commitment to making meaningful change in the community. Each quarter, a portion of our profits go into the Family Fund, a financial assistance programme providing opportunities and peace of mind for the our community, which was initially primarily focused on providing support to team members.

Within the restaurant ecosystem in Hong Kong and elsewhere, there is a standard of living and lifestyle that has become a well-worn narrative within the community – from long hours to lunch breaks in alleyways or low pay. Our aim was always to build a community that first and foremost looked after its own. Taking care of the people within our charge, because doing so meant that the guests would be taken care of – genuine hospitality, empathy and care begins with those closest.

Now, with the formalisation of Family Fund, we focus on two missions, one internal – continued support to our community – and the other which is external and set to give back to the wider Hong Kong community. The internal focus continues to be dedicated to supporting team members through grants and interest-free loans for education and for unforeseen incidents, providing a safety net and reassurance during tough times.

The newly introduced external focus is our charity partner. In December, the Family Fund Board decided which causes they wanted to support, the first of which is the partnership with Feeding Hong Kong. The work with Feeding Hong Kong connects us closely and in different but a still meaningful way with the wider Hong Kong community.

For Founder Syed Asim Hussain, “Service has always been at the heart of who we are and what we do at Black Sheep and building the strong community that makes up our team is the result of that. We have always been supporting our team through the Family Fund, but as we move forward in our journey as a hospitality team, we have an understanding in our hearts that our community is not just those people in Black Sheep, but the greater ecosystem that we are a part of. We are proud to be announcing the formalisation of Family Fund and its outer ring; the partnership with Feeding Hong Kong is the first step.”

Over the next two years, we aim to raise HKD$3Million to support Feeding Hong Kong, with the hope that driving all efforts in a single direction will effect more meaningful change. The first part of this fundraising effort occurred on 15 March, as part of International Women’s Day, where we raised over HKD$180K through an all-day fundraising effort at the very first Team Canteen Community Day and Dinner For A Cause at Ho Lee Fook.

For Gabrielle Kirstein, Founder of Feeding Hong Kong, “We are incredibly grateful to Black Sheep for their generous support of Feeding Hong Kong. From our very first collaboration in 2020, their culture of care and commitment to the community has shone through in actions as well as words, and we’re incredibly excited about how we can work together in the coming two years to drive meaningful change. “

She continues, “At Feeding Hong Kong, we believe that feeding people, not landfills, is essential to building a more equitable and sustainable future. With the support of partners like Black Sheep, we will continue to fight food waste and make a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most.”

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Learn more about our Team Canteen Community Day here. 

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