SINGAPORE – Volunteers across Singapore at the weekend distributed cookies and grocery packs and refurbished homes ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which falls on April 10.
For over a week, 120 volunteers in East Coast baked 50,000 familiar favourites such as sugee, red velvet and cornflake cookies, and prepared rempeyek, a cracker with nuts and dried anchovies.
The goodies were distributed on April 6 by 50 volunteers to 1,000 low-income families in the constituency. The volunteers were joined by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman and fellow MPs of the East Coast GRC team.
East Coast resident Elsie Fong said her team of bakers took nine days to prepare the cookies.
“We really came together as a community to bake and distribute them. The recipients also represented the diversity of the Muslim community here in East Coast,” said Ms Fong, 51.
Volunteers departed from Siglap Community Club in their vehicles at about 10am, to head to various locations within East Coast.
One of the recipients, Mr Abdul Wahed Maideen, 58, said he was delighted to receive the cookies.
“Now my relatives can enjoy them as they visit me over the next few weeks,” he added.
Dr Maliki said the Harmony in Bake-a-thon was one of a number of initiatives launched under the Caring pillar of the East Coast Plan.
“We continue to be heartened by how residents show up for each other, especially ensuring that no one is forgotten during times of celebration,” he added.
Over in Woodlands, Madam Rahayu Mahzam, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Law, led efforts to distribute grocery packs with healthier food items, and a recipe card for preparing healthier meals, to low-income families.
The distribution drive on April 6 was held at the Store@Woodlands, a minimart located at Block 852 Woodlands Street 83 that allows families in need to shop for up to nine items per month for free. The items are donated by the community.
The initiative was part of efforts by the Health Promotion Board, which collaborated with 62 community partners to distribute healthier grocery packs to about 10,000 families islandwide during Ramadan.
On the same day, 415 volunteers helped refurbish 50 homes in Sengkang as part of Project Refresh, an initiative of the North East Community Development Council and Young NTUC.
Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds armed themselves with brooms and paint brushes to declutter, clean and paint homes for the beneficiaries living in the area.
Correction note: The Health Promotion Board has clarified that it collaborated with 62 community partners - not 59 - to distribute healthier grocery packs to about 10,000 families islandwide during Ramadan.
