SINGAPORE - Popular home-grown ice cream parlour Creamier will reopen an outlet in Toa Payoh on Oct 8 after closing its previous one in the neighbourhood about three months ago.

In a Facebook post on Thursday (Sept 26), Creamier announced its return to Toa Payoh, which it said "truly is home for us".

The new outlet is at Block 131 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, just across the road from its previous one at Block 128, which was Creamier's first store when it opened on Nov 19, 2011. Its latest outlet will have its official opening on Nov 19, its anniversary. Creamier has two other branches, in Tiong Bahru and Gillman Barracks.

The new outlet - which will continue to serve the brand's popular handcrafted ice cream and house-made waffles - is also on a social mission.

Creamier is also partnering The Food Bank Singapore to set up a place where people in need can pick up food items.

One-third of the space in Creamier's new 1,500 sq ft store will be hived off for The Food Pantry 2.0, which will house vending machines that stock food with a shelf life of up to four weeks at $2 each.

The space also acts as a distribution point for free emergency food aid to the needy.

It will have a pick-up-and-go section which offers a range of items such as frozen meals, beverages, snacks, household items and prepaid mobile cards.

Members of the public can donate to the Food Pantry non-perishable food that are unopened and unused and with at least four weeks' shelf life. The Food Pantry previously operated in Sims Avenue as a shop that sells soon-to-expire food with less than two months' shelf life. Instead of letting the food go to waste, they are are sold at $1 each.

In a post on its website, Creamier's co-founder Khoh Wan Chin says that Creamier was grateful for the chance to team up with The Food Bank Singapore to serve the community.

"Through the sponsorship of space and utilities for the Food Pantry vending machines in this pilot programme, we aim to contribute towards the fight against food hunger and food wastage," she adds.