Mastercard partners with Puerto Rico Food Bank to deliver 4K ‘Mochilas Alegres’
Mastercard is joining forces with the Puerto Rico Food Bank to combat hunger on the island and anticipates it will deliver some 4,000 “Mochilas Alegres” by the end of the year.
For every five contactless transactions, Mastercard will donate a “Mochila Alegre” with food supplies to a child in need when school cafeterias are closed on weekends, including school vacation periods, the company said.
In this way, school-age children “can maintain a healthy life that allows them to return to the classroom every Monday, ready to learn,” it added.
According to data provided by the Youth Development Institute in 2020, six out of 10 children in Puerto Rico live in extreme poverty and four of them in chronic poverty.
“Thanks to Mastercard’s generosity, more than 1,100 children living in poverty in Puerto Rico will receive a backpack of nutritious food 52 weekends of the year,” said Denise Santos, president of the Puerto Rico Food Bank.
Until Dec. 31, 2021, consumers will be able to use their contactless credit and debit cards to help low-income children on the island.