Single mother Indrapathi Sugumaran, 33, has been receiving vegetables, fruits and meat every Sunday for the past two months from Singapore Red Cross volunteers.
“It makes a difference to us because we get to have chicken or fish weekly now instead of twice a month in the past, and more nutritious food options such as broccoli,” said Ms Indrapathi, who works at a fast-food restaurant.
She works part time in order to send her only son, who is seven and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for therapy.
“Usually, we will eat only chicken rice, nasi lemak or Chinese economy rice as they are more affordable, though they are less healthy,” said Ms Indrapathi.
Madam Latifah Abdul Latif, 55, is also a recipient of Singapore Red Cross’ FoodAid programme, receiving $250 a month in supermarket vouchers.
On some days, it is just instant noodles or plain rice with ketchup for her and her five-year-old granddaughter. They live in a one-room rental flat in Telok Blangah, and Madam Latifah said they may also skip a meal once a month.
“It depends on whether friends give me food or lend me money to buy food,” added the mother of three adult children, none of whom regularly gives her money.
Madam Latifah had to stop working as a helper at a food stall after having a stent put in her heart a few years ago. She ended up looking after her granddaughter when the child’s father was sent to prison.
Her daughter has been living with him since his release.
Once a month, charity Food From The Heart provides Madam Lim Geok Kheng, 68, with fruits and food items such as canned food and rice.
She has kidney disease and goes for dialysis thrice a week. Her husband is an odd-job worker who earns about $1,000 a month, barely enough to cover her medical bills and household expenses.
With banking group OCBC partnering Food From The Heart, she has been receiving 10 eggs with her food ration. She said: “I will have the eggs with my rice now. It’s better because I can’t eat so much canned food as it has a lot of salt.”
The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund also helps children from low-income families buy meals during recess and textbooks for school. The fund was set up in 2000 by The Straits Times as a community project and now supports more than 10,000 children from low-income families every year.
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Source: The Straits Times, 15 September 2018