SINGAPORE - Heartland organisations are celebrating Chinese New Year by spreading cheer to various groups including migrant workers, front-line heroes and the underprivileged.
To celebrate the Year of the Tiger, dormitory operator Centurion Corporation will be organising a tiger-painting contest for 27,000 migrant workers who live in dorms under the Westlite brand.
They can submit their entries from Jan 18 until Feb 13 and stand to win 160 cash prizes ranging from $18 to $288.
Ms Katherine Lee, manager of the Westlite Resi-Life Programme, said: "We wanted to celebrate the Chinese New Year with our Chinese residents, with festive decor and games."
"Besides giving hongbao and mandarin oranges, our tiger-drawing contest is also open to all residents, and we look forward to seeing artistic renditions of tigers in diverse styles from our multicultural migrant worker community."
The Covid-19 Migrant Support Coalition (CMSC), in partnership with the Ministry of Manpower, plans to bring about 30 migrant workers to visit the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.
Mr Nick Chan, co-lead of CMSC, said: "We believe that this is a great opportunity for our migrant friends, both Chinese and non-Chinese, to understand more about the Singapore Chinese population that they interact with daily."
Meanwhile, volunteers from Nanyang Technological University will be partnering with the Friends of the Disabled Society to organise virtual lion dance and wushu performances for 60 beneficiaries and their caregivers on Feb 5.
From Jan 22 to Feb 6, the People's Association (PA) will distribute 2,888 care packages islandwide to cleaners and delivery riders to show their appreciation for their services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The care packages will contain essential items such as face masks and sanitisers, and some will also include festive goodies like oranges and nuts.
A PA spokesman said: "This group of unsung heroes ensured that families and customers received their meals on time during challenging times of the pandemic.
"Their efforts certainly deserve to be appreciated, and we hope our small gesture will go some way to motivate them."
Sage Counselling Centre, in collaboration with South West Community Development Council, will be giving 2,000 low-income families and seniors fortune bags on Jan 29.
These will contain items like Chinese herbal tea and food staples such as cereals, and will be distributed to residents in Boon Lay, Hong Kah North and Bukit Gombak.
Ms Grace Lee, executive director of Sage Counselling Centre, said: "During the festive season, we have reunion dinners.
"Some of these residents, especially the seniors, may be feeling isolated and we want to reach out to them and let them know about our services which can help."
Another initiative for seniors, Sewing Hearts, sees 28 sewing enthusiasts banding together to sew new Chinese New Year clothes for 36 seniors served by Lions Befrienders.
Office manager Linda Kuan, 55, started the initiative with her friends, using a grant from Temasek Trust's oscar@sg fund to buy sewing materials.
Ms Kuan said: "For the elderly, buying food or household items could already be a luxury. They won't dream that during Chinese New Year, they can get themselves new clothes."
