Sowing Seeds of Joy This Chinese New Year Among the Elderly to Spread Love and Improve Mental Health

Hi Everyone,

Chinese New Year is usually a time for families to gather together and celebrate the festivities with good food, good company and a host of activities. However, residents of elderly folks homes are sometimes neglected and forgotten, bringing on feelings of loneliness and helplessness that can lead to depression. 

A recent study published in the American Society for Horticultural Science journal stated that an activity as simple as caring for houseplants can have positive effects on a resident's happiness including increased social interaction, increased levels of activity, increased feelings of self-worth and overall improvement in quality of life.[1]

Residents of Attia Nursing Care Centre in Petaling Jaya usher in the year of the tiger with Domino_s Roaring Festive Sets and a seed planting activity to bring residents closer to nature.

Understanding the powerful effects experiencing nature can have on an individual, Domino’s Pizza decided to ‘Sow Seeds of Joy’ to lift the spirits of residents of Attia Nursing Care Centre in Petaling Jaya with their Chinese New Year Roaring Festive Sets, and a creative seed planting activity using used pizza boxes the week before the annual celebrations. Domino’s staff members feasted with 17 residents and walked six of them through the process of planting some seeds in soil mixed with cut up pieces of Domino’s pizza boxes which helps nourish the soil as the boxes turn to compost.

Residents of Attia Nursing Care Centre and Domino_s employees composting pizza boxes to nourish the soil where seeds were planted to bring nature to the doorstep of residents for improved mental health.

Residents were thrilled to engage in the activity with some of them attempting to compost a small amount of organic waste together with the pizza boxes to help improve soil quality. Linda Hassan, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Domino's Pizza Malaysia, Singapore & Cambodia said, “Sowing seeds of joy among residents of Attia Nursing Care Centre in Petaling Jaya not only brings smiles to their faces and ours but also brings value to residents long after we’re gone.”

She added “We wanted to do something that would make a positive, meaningful and lasting impact for the residents of the home and decided to think out of the pizza box for an idea that would truly make a difference. Since our pizza boxes are a good source of carbon material for compost, we wanted to incorporate it into our ‘Sow Seeds of Joy’ activity with the residents. This activity brought lots of cheer to residents and Domino’s employees, and it is also a great way to reduce our carbon footprint by composting pizza boxes and growing plants to absorb carbon from the atmosphere.”

Domino_s Pizza employees sowing seeds with residents of Attia Nursing Care Centre to celebrate Chinese New Year.

To sow more seeds of joy to folks in elderly homes nationwide, Domino’s selected 15 nursing care centres throughout the country where an additional 500 elderly folks will be treated to piping hot meals to celebrate Chinese New Year.

“At Domino’s, we hope to bring more smiles to the faces of fellow Malaysians during this auspicious time, especially the elderly in our communities. We would also like to highlight to Malaysians that composting our pizza boxes in your garden can help you sow seeds of joy long after the pizzas have been eaten. This is our way of advocating and supporting sustainable practices among Malaysians for a greener environment that also positively impacts our mental health,” said Linda Hassan, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Domino's Pizza Malaysia, Singapore & Cambodia shared.

To give Malaysians a roaring good time this year of the tiger, Domino’s is offering the Roaring Festive Set for eight pax at an affordable price of RM84.90 (more than 50% off) for four pizzas, two sides, a Chocolate Lava Cake and a bottle of soft drink to enjoy with family and friends. Remember to save those pizza boxes and sow some seeds of joy for a prosperous year ahead.

[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226134813.htm