In celebration of its 100th anniversary this year the GraceKennedy (GK) Group is in the process of delivering what the company describes as “100 Acts of Grace”.

Grace, Kennedy & Company Limited was founded on February 14, 1922 by Dr John J Grace and Fred William Kennedy, who worked for Grace Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of WR Grace & Company of New York City in New York, USA.

An economic recession between 1919 and 1921 led to the divestment of the Jamaican branch which was acquired by Dr Grace and Fred W Kennedy and who invited James Moss-Solomon, then with United Fruit Company, to join the new firm as accountant. One hundred years later, the Jamaican company is now spread across the globe.

The highlight of celebrating the century by GraceKennedy Foundation (GKF), the company indicates, has been the execution of beach clean-ups around the Kingston Harbour, in support of GK’s long-term efforts to protect the natural environment. In celebration of GK’s centenary in 2022, GKF also awarded 100 scholarships and bursaries valued at $24 million.

Grace & Staff’s Acts of Grace have also focused on education, tuition support valued over $22.5 million for over 1,300 Jamaican students.

Altogether, the company indicated in the second week of December, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative has already seen 90 of GK’s targeted 100 Acts of Grace being completed, including cash and in-kind donations, scholarships, bursaries, tree planting projects and beach clean-ups. The activities executed to date have been valued over $180 million and represent nearly 2,000 volunteer hours from the GK team.

GK Group CEO Don Wehby explained, “‘We Care’ is one of the fundamental pillars of our company. For 100 years we have consistently given back to the communities we serve around the world. For this milestone anniversary, we wanted to reaffirm our commitment to our ‘We Care’ ethos, by executing 100 CSR initiatives, or Acts of Grace.

“It’s about going above and beyond to give back to those in need. I am so proud of the way our GK team has taken up the mantle on this initiative, and with the giving season upon us, I know we will meet, if not exceed our target.”

To keep track of its progress towards its targeted 100 CSR initiatives in 2022, GK has launched a webpage where its Acts of Grace are being displayed: www.gracekennedy.com/acts-of-grace

The GraceKennedy Foundation (GKF) and the Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation (Grace & Staff) have led the implementation of the initiative, delivering a collective 57 of the 90 CSR activities.

Grace & Staff’s target of supporting 1,000 students in time for GK’s 100th anniversary was met in late 2021 and surpassed in 2022.

Several GK subsidiaries in Jamaica and overseas have also been making contributions to the Acts of Grace project, including GK’s Foods Division which has collectively donated over $5 million in cash and kind to the Mustard Seed Communities and GK Campus Connect Food Bank. Further afield, GK Belize donated care packages valued at US$15,000 to victims of Hurricane Lisa following passage of the storm in November.

From the GK Financial Group, Acts of Grace have included tree planting by First Global Bank, a blood drive by Key Insurance, and a Labour Day collaboration between GK Insurance and GK Capital Management at the Albert Street Basic School in downtown Kingston.