Armed with $30 worth of supermarket vouchers, 12-year-old Muhammad Khairunnas wandered around the Sheng Siong mart picking out groceries.
It was part of local charity Children’s Wishing Well’s FRESH Programme, which organises weekly supermarket trips, pairing volunteers with children from low-income or disadvantaged families. Each trip has 15 to 40 children, aged seven to 13.
Fresh groceries for Every Student’s Home (FRESH) started in August 2018, replacing the charity’s previous initiative of delivering groceries to families.
“We found that many families were not using the food or didn’t like the items, or the children were still going hungry. Volunteers also felt it was not meaningful enough,” said Children’s Wishing Well chief executive officer Joanna Tan.
FRESH empowers the children with budgeting, healthy eating and decision-making skills.
Through the trips, children learnt not to spend on chocolates or cup noodles, but pick healthier options like brown rice, yogurt or milk.
Khairunnas picked out instant coffee for his father, carrots for his mother, milk for his brothers, and bananas for himself. He was aided by Ms Charen Lim, 33, a senior documentation executive at Mewah, an agriculture business firm that sponsored the day’s shopping. She guided him on choosing cheaper brands that fit the budget, and deciding what were “must buy” items.
Fresh plans to reach about 400 children, up from 240 now, by expanding the number of areas it serves from three to seven.
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Source: The Straits Times, 17 Dec 2019