Lee Ray Sheng was thrilled when his fried beehoon stall opened for business at the end of February.
For the 20-year-old computer science undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Raydy Beehoon, which opened into the wee hours of the morning, was a labour of love more than half a year in the making.
The stall enjoyed brisk business in its first few weeks. But when “circuit breaker” measures took effect on 7 April, all students living on campus were told to move out of their residences – eliminating his entire customer base and forcing him to close.
Ray Sheng and his friends took that blow and turned it into an opportunity to “make a positive change”, using their new skills and plentiful free time. Since 13 April, they have been cooking and delivering breakfast to needy beneficiaries, mostly elderly.
The group started an online fundraising campaign, hoping to raise enough money to cover the cost of food ingredients, packaging and petrol costs for delivery. In just over a week, they raised about SS$9,000 of an initial target of S$10,000.
“People shared it very quickly,” he said. “Someone even donated S$1,000 anonymously.”
They hooked up with charity organisation Food Bank to help distribute the food to needy beneficiaries.
Six days a week from 5am, Ray Sheng and his team prepare and pack about 200 packets of beehoon at a catering kitchen space offered to them for free.
From about 9am, Ray Sheng and one friend set out to drop the food off at Food Bank’s headquarters and three more designated drop-off points in the western part of Singapore. Volunteers then go door-to-door distributing the beehoon to beneficiaries.
But besides donating time and effort, Ray Sheng also wanted to help someone who had lost their jobs due to COVID-19 restrictions. His first hire was 56-year-old Ben, who worked at the stall next to Raydy Beehoon before being placed on no-pay leave.
In light of the circuit breaker extension, the group expanded their operations with an additional kitchen in the north of the island, and serve a second charity organisation, Willing Hearts.
They began cooking and delivering food from both kitchens, doubling their output to 400 packets of beehoon a day. With more than 1,500 breakfasts distributed already, they hope to hit 15,000 by the end of the “circuit breaker” come 1 June.
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Source: Channel NewsAsia, 23 April 2020