Sales of Yeo's drinks help net $30,000 for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund

A drinks initiative, which ran from Aug 22 to Oct 2, 2018, at all 158 Cheers and FairPrice Xpress stores islandwide, saw 20 cents from every purchase of a Yeo's drink go to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

SINGAPORE - Twenty cents from every sale of a Yeo's drink from a Cheers or FairPrice Xpress store recently went to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

The sum collected - $30,000 - was jointly donated by Cheers, the FairPrice Foundation and Yeo Hiap Seng to the fund on Saturday (Nov 17).

The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund has supported more than 160,000 cases of children and young people in need since it started in 2000.

The drinks initiative ran from Aug 22 to Oct 2 at all 158 Cheers and FairPrice Xpress stores islandwide.

This is the fifth year of the annual initiative, which has raised close to $150,000 in total for beneficiaries since 2014.

Twenty beneficiaries of the fund were invited for a shopping trip at Cheers@Kallang Wave Mall on Saturday. The students were given $20 each to buy whatever they wanted.

The beneficiaries said they enjoyed the event, with some buying snacks to share with their families. Siti Nabilah, seven, bought chocolates to share with her siblings. She said she enjoyed the event and felt happy.

Cheers' general manager Victor Cheong said: "It has been five years since we first partnered Yeo Hiap Seng to do our part for the community by contributing to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, and it remains heartening to see our partner and customers come together to support students in need.

"We are proud to enable students equal opportunities to do well regardless of their financial background, and it is only fitting that we continue to pledge and celebrate our commitment to this meaningful cause, and spend valuable time with the students today."

The fund's general manager, Ms Tan Bee Heong, who received the cheque on the fund's behalf, said it was grateful to the organisations "for bringing joy to our students from low-income families once again".

"Every year, our beneficiaries look forward to having fun shopping around the store. We look forward to more years of partnership in making a difference to the lives of underprivileged children."

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