JBS S.A. announced this week that its board of directors unanimously approved a donation of 700 million reals (approximately $121 million) to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the communities where its team members live and work around the world.

In Brazil, the company will invest 400 million reals to combat COVID-19 on three fronts: donations to support public health, social assistance and scientific research and development. The donations will directly benefit 162 municipalities and 17 states, including the provision of masks, personal protective equipment (PPE), food assistance, hospital construction and additional intensive care unit resources, among other initiatives.

The company will also donate 300 million reals ($52 million) abroad, primarily in the U.S., to support local communities, with donations to provide food assistance, meet critical infrastructure needs, provide PPE to first responders and support other COVID-19-related response efforts.

“The world is experiencing an unprecedented challenge as we collectively face the coronavirus pandemic,” JBS global chief executive officer Gilberto Tomazoni said. “At JBS, we are guided by our culture and feel a responsibility to contribute to society and make a difference in people's lives by helping our communities confront this social crisis.”

The donation in Brazil will be supported by an advisory committee chaired by Fernando Andreatta Torelly, CEO of Hospital do Coração, and comprised of Henrique Neves, CEO of Hospital Albert Einstein; Maurício de Lázzari Barbosa, chairman of the board of Bionexo; Mohamed Parrini, CEO of Hospital Moinhos de Vento of Porto Alegre, and Roberto Kalil Filho, director of the clinical cardiology division of InCor and general director of the cardiology center of Hospital Sírio-Libanês.

The initiatives in Brazil will be coordinated by Joanita Maestri Karoleski, former CEO of Seara, and audited by Grant Thornton, a global consultancy with more than 100 years of experience. The auditing company waived its fees to contribute in the company’s fight against COVID-19.

The company’s social initiative complements its existing efforts to ensure a safe working environment for its team members around the world who are endeavoring to meet the challenge of feeding society during the pandemic.