Sonargaon bridging the gap

Often, we take things for granted and hence miss out on feeling lucky and blessed about all the good things life has endowed us with. While we hop from one fancy restaurant to another, we must remember that there are people for whom it is a big deal to even have their next meal on the table.
Being generous and compassionate towards them is of paramount importance -- from a religious standpoint as well as from a social standpoint.
And hence, under its Community Care Program, Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel has been organising an iftar party every year for underprivileged children for over a decade now. The hotel has always been keen in supporting the social wellbeing of the community and focusing on social responsibilities as part of its corporate culture.
This year, the event was held on 3 July at the Grand Ballroom of the hotel.
Around 500 children, from several non-profit, children welfare institutions, came in to take part in this huge iftar party.
On his speech, E J Mac Ewan, general manager of the hotel said, "Through this effort, the underprivileged children have got the opportunity to come to this five star hotel mostly visited by the affluent mass of the country. This initiative will help bridge the gap between the rich and the deprived section of the society."
Of course, one iftar party a year in a fancy hotel will not solve all the poverty related problems. But what it does is that it serves the purpose of creating a scope to be more compassionate about those underprivileged.
Rashed Khan Menon, minister, civil aviation and tourism, Bangladesh was the chief guest of the event. In his speech he urged people to keep the spirit of compassion and equality alive, beyond the iftar and dinner tables and across the boundaries of the hotel -- all the time and wherever we go.