Several Nee Soon East families stocked up on food, home appliances and toys in February for free thanks to a “shopping spree” initiative to help low-income folk.
The residents from 28 households were free to choose what they needed off the shelves of a well-stocked storeroom set up by Project Hope, a new community enterprise.
The room at the local Residents’ Committee at Block 227 Yishun Street 21 contains staples like canned food, appliances including breadmakers, and toys.
The items, either brand new or pre-owned in mint condition, were donated by people from all over Singapore.
Mr Louis Ng, MP for Nee Soon GRC, started the project in January and made appeals for donations on Facebook and Instagram.
The response was overwhelming – a donor in Bukit Merah even collected items from most of his neighbours and then arranged for them to be transported to Yishun.
The project is run by 10 volunteers who ensure the donated items are usable and that food items have not expired.
The volunteers visited low-income families in two Housing Board blocks in the Nee Soon East ward and invited them to pick a fixed number of items.
GrabFood driver Muhammad Sholehin Jamari, 27, went home with some useful items given that his wife is pregnant with their first child – diapers and a stroller. Mr Sholehin was so touched by the kindness that he stayed behind to help the volunteers that evening.
The project has halted donations for the next few months due to the overwhelming response from donors but it will start again once the shelves need restocking.
Volunteers will continue to invite residents to pick items from the Project Hope room every Monday.
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Source: The Straits Times, 3 March 2020