To mark the 50th anniversary of the Hindu Endowments Board yesterday, a group of temple volunteers celebrated the milestone by giving back to the community.

Some 30 management committee members and volunteers from the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, spent the morning serving at Sunlove Home in Buangkok View.

They entertained residents with various activities, including a magic show, Indian dance performances and karaoke. The volunteers also served lunch to the residents after the activities.

At the event, the Hindu Endowments Board also donated two oxygen concentrators to the home for the intellectually disabled.

An oxygen concentrator takes enriched oxygen from the air to help people with low oxygen levels in their blood to breathe.

The event was the first in a series of initiatives to celebrate the board's golden jubilee this year.

Mr Lakshmanan Seenivasakan, chairman of the Sri Mariamman Temple, said: "Anniversaries come and go, but it is important what we do with them.

"For us, we want to make it meaningful by serving others."

The other three temples managed by the board - the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Sri Sivan Temple and Sri Vairavimada Kaliamman Temple - will also organise activities to celebrate the occasion.

The board's chairman R. Jayachandran said the Hindu Endowments Board decided to have a series of events to reach out to the community more effectively, instead of holding one big celebration.

Upcoming activities include a family day to honour some 2,000 temple volunteers and their families next month, he added.

Mr V. Murugaiyan, a 57-year-old public servant, was among those serving residents at Sunlove Home. He said such opportunities allow temple volunteers to show concern to the less privileged groups in society.

Another volunteer, 38-year-old delivery driver Risheelan, said: "We should help out whenever we can to let others know that they are not alone."