With many team members who work and live in the area observing Ramadan, the second and now annual initiative was started by senior Woolworths staff member and Punchbowl resident, Saleh El Kheir.
Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci joined local staff and the NSW leadership team to break fast together, with Halal catering provided by locally-owned small business, Char Cha by Charbel Chaaya.
Saleh El Kheir said: “Inclusion and respect for different cultures and beliefs help us grow collectively and be a better, more welcoming place to work and shop.
“Our team members in Canterbury Bankstown are part of these great communities that we serve, and together we celebrate what is important to each of us, and what brings us together – which is food.
“We aim to support our team members observing Ramadan in the way we roster their shifts and break times. It’s a small but important thing we can do for our team.”
A number of local Woolworths stores also offer prayer rooms for team members of any faith.
At the end of Ramadan, store managers presented an ‘Eid Mubarak’ card and a traditional pack of dates to thank staff for their efforts while they were fasting.
Woolworths also donated tea, sugar, jam, cheese and other staples to the Lebanese Muslim Association as well as 30 pallets of bottled water to Mosques across NSW, including Punchbowl Mosque.
