Donating masks to vulnerable communities, delivering meals to beneficiaries and rallying Singaporeans through a digital pledge map.
These are some ways businesses and organisations are bringing cheer and fostering community spirit for the nation's 55th birthday amid a coronavirus outbreak that has crimped celebrations this year.
Co-working space operator JustCo is donating about 70,000 surgical masks to 11 charities, including the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore.
"As a home-grown Singapore company, we find this tough period an especially fitting time for us to help others who are in need," said Mr Brandon Chia, vice-president and head of JustCo in Singapore and Indonesia, adding that the company wanted to help vulnerable communities in the spirit of National Day.
The beneficiaries of its donation were nominated by JustCo members and the public.
NKF chief executive Tim Oei said: "These surgical masks come in very timely in supporting our dialysis patients, who have an increased risk of infection due to their weaker immune system, as well as our front-line staff who have put in long hours during this crucial period."
Meanwhile, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore's National Day classic car drive, which usually involves bringing beneficiaries of its charity initiative to the hotel for a meal and to watch the National Day Parade (NDP) on Aug 9, is delivering the cheer to their homes this year.
The hotel's chefs will be preparing bento meals that will be delivered to beneficiaries of WeCare @ Marine Parade, a network that aims to help vulnerable residents in the neighbourhood, with the help of volunteers from the Malaysia Singapore Vintage Car Register.
"We want to reach out to the wider community to uplift their spirits and spread the cheer, especially during this challenging season," said Mr Cavaliere Giovanni Viterale, general manager of The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts.
Charity organisation Heartware Network, which is usually involved in the NDP through its youth volunteers, has worked with partners including DBS Bank, the Institute of Technical Education and GovTech to launch a digital pledge map.
The map encourages Singaporeans to express their aspirations and reflections on the country, with the aim of fostering a sense of togetherness. It has drawn over 67,000 contributions so far, including one from President Halimah Yacob.
Meanwhile, electricity retailer Geneco is partnering urban solutions firm Cultivate Central to distribute 550 green kits to its customers, in line with Singapore's 55th birthday. Each kit will contain various vegetable seeds, as part of its move to foster a lifestyle of sustainability.
Insurer NTUC Income, which usually marks National Day with a companywide event to build staff camaraderie, is holding a virtual run for its employees this year.
For each kilometre run by staff at their own time and pace, it will donate $10 to the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH).
Income aims to donate about $100,000, which will support SAMH's youth programmes - such as sports therapy and online music and dance lessons - that help young people facing stress and anxiety.
"We are glad to continue with our quest for a more sustainable Singapore, while at the same time doing our part in support of better mental well-being among our youth so that they can be future-ready," said Income chief human resources officer Juliana Ang.
