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Hemas Outreach Foundation (HOF) continues its collaboration with ‘Hoppers London’,
a renowned Sri Lankan restaurant group in London, to extend their "Feed the Future"
project, addressing the nutritional needs of vulnerable children on the brink of
malnutrition in selected Piyawara preschools.
The partnership was born out of the economic crisis in 2022 and reached a significant milestone in 2023 with the
construction of the 64th Piyawara preschool in the remote village of Poojapitiya, Kandy. This endeavor reflects
Hoppers’ dedication to support children in need, with ambitious plans to further enrich Piyawara preschools in
collaboration with Hemas.
The Executive Director, Hemas Outreach Foundation, Shiromi Masakorala in a statement,
expressed pride in their partnership with Hoppers London. She commended their commitment to the welfare of
underprivileged children in Sri Lanka. In 2022, the initiative provided essential dry rations to 367 children and
families across six Districts in 15 selected Piyawara preschools. In 2023, the project's scope expanded, offering
vital support to 1,160 children and their families in 11 Districts through 34 selected Piyawara preschools.
Launched in 2002 by the Hemas Outreach Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of
Women and Child Affairs, Piyawara represents Hemas’ continued support of the national
agenda in developing Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in the country.
"I extend my gratitude to Karan Gokani and the Hoppers team for partnering in our efforts
to address a national need and ensure no child is left behind. Their unwavering commitment i
s truly commendable. I would also like to emphasize the necessity for Sri Lankan authorities
to facilitate an environment conducive to potential donors to come forward to support the nation's
essential causes," added Abbas Esufally, Chairman of Hemas Outreach Foundation
"We setup our first Hoppers restaurant in 2015 as a result of our love for the food, culture and people of Sri Lanka.
All these years later, our passion for Sri Lanka has grown manifold, and when the crisis struck in 2022, we were
heartbroken and helpless sitting so far away. I was keen to create a charitable project that was meaningful,
long lasting and transparent via which Hoppers could make a real difference on the ground. Finding Abbas,
Shiromi and Hemas as partners who share our vision and dedication was a dream come true. We couldn’t be more
pleased with how smoothly and efficiently the project has gone so far, and are fully committed to growing our
contribution and scope of support exponentially in the years to come.", added Karan Gokani of Hoppers London.
About Hemas Outreach Foundation
Established under Hemas Holdings PLC, the Hemas Outreach Foundation has been leading the Group’s efforts to enrich
lives through transformative social responsibility. Hemas Outreach Foundation operates as a charitable trust with t
he intention of creating an inclusive world where no child is left behind. Our aim is to help disadvantaged children
across the island to provide world-class pre-school education and improve the lives of differently-abled children with
high-quality therapeutic intervention and eradicating stigma related to disabilities. Currently, the collective efforts
of the foundation have been able to positively impact more than 100,000 lives of
children and families across the country.
About Hoppers
Hoppers was founded by JKS Restaurants and Karan Gokani in October 2015. The first Hoppers in Soho was inspired by
toddy-shops, home cooking and roadside stalls of Sri Lanka and South India, and served its namesake Hoppers alongside
Dosas, Kothu, Short Eats, Rice and Roasts. The acclaim soon followed with reviews from London Evening’s Standard’s Fay
Maschler and the late Sunday Times critic A.A. Gill who applauded Hoppers for its “seductive, come hither menu” and
“spectacular, impressive, authentic, confident and swaggering kitchen”.
The restaurant went on to secure its Michelin Bib Gourmand in its first year. Following the success of Hoppers Soho,
a second Hoppers at Marylebone’s St Christopher’s Place, themed around the iconic Tropical Modernist movement of the
late Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, opening in September 2017. Hoppers King’s Cross, the third and largest of the
three restaurants opened in February 2020 inspired by the much-travelled coastal journey from Colombo, the island’s
capital, to the historical Dutch town of Galle..
The hotly anticipated debut cookbook from Hoppers was released in Autumn 2022 and soon topped the bestseller ‘cookbook’
lists of the Sunday Times, Financial Times, Evening Standard and BBC Good Food . Written by Karan, the book tells a personal
story of the inspiration behind Hoppers and the people and places that shaped it, via recipes and stunning imagery..
About Karan Gokani, Co-Founder
Karan grew up in Mumbai and moved to England in 2005 to study law at the University of Cambridge. Even as a practicing
solicitor, Karan’s passion for food and hospitality never faded and he spent time in professional kitchens in his spare
time. In 2012, he left his legal career at a city law firm to pursue a career in hospitality, traveling across India
and Sri Lanka to immerse himself in the food and culture of the countries..
Over the years Karan has written travel features and recipes on Sri Lanka and southern India for major national and
international publications including The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, National Geographic, Conde
Nast Traveller and various food festivals across the UK. Karan has also appeared on some of the nation’s favourite
TV shows including Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch, Celebrity Masterchef and Jamie Oliver’s £1 meals. In the US,
Karan has cooked on NBC’s Today Show.
