SINGAPORE - FairPrice's charity arm has donated $20,000 and 100 hampers to self-help group Yayasan Mendaki to help low-income families in the Muslim community with school-related fees and buying of groceries.
The supermarket chain will also be providing refreshments at its stores for Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan from April 13 to May 12, and has expanded its range of halal-certified products by almost 1,500 items.
At the FairPrice store at Woodlands Civic Centre on Monday (April 12), Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad, who is also Mendaki deputy chairman, said: "I'm thankful FairPrice has been a strong partner of Mendaki. I'm heartened about their donation as it will benefit many of our low-income students and their families, especially during Ramadan when we also want to ensure households get good nutrition."
The hampers donated by FairPrice Foundation include daily necessities like rice, oil and noodles. The $20,000 will be used for bursaries, and subsidies for school fees and other academic programme initiatives.
With this year's donation, FairPrice Foundation has contributed more than $360,000 to Yayasan Mendaki over the past seven years.
Mr Seah Kian Peng, group chief executive officer of FairPrice Group, said: "As our Muslim customers observe Ramadan, we continue to show our consideration by providing dates and refreshments at our stores to help them break their fast. Ramadan is a time of doing good and we are privileged to provide social support for those in need."
The refreshments can be collected 30 minutes before and after the time of breaking fast at 60 FairPrice stores, up from 58 stores last year.
The refreshments will be packed into individual bags for self-collection, which will be facilitated by FairPrice staff to ensure safe management measures are adhered to.
To better cater to Muslim consumers, FairPrice added about 1,500 new halal-certified products to its existing range of 5,700 halal products. The new products include groceries from countries such as Brazil, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia.
There will also be Halal Corners selling hot delicatessen products at 26 FairPrice outlets.
Madam Wanita Hasyim, 61, who was shopping at the FairPrice store at Woodlands Civic Centre on Monday, said the increased variety of halal groceries will make shopping more convenient and exciting.
She added: "I think the refreshments will be very helpful for those who are rushing home or are shopping at FairPrice to get a quick bite to break their fast before going home for a proper meal."
