SINGAPORE - Inspired by the work of Food from the Heart, OCBC client Mr Ang Song Mong decided to supply eggs to the charity at a discount.

The charity will distribute 300,000 eggs to 2,500 needy families over the course of a year, in the hope of enhancing the nutritional value of what they eat.

OCBC will pay for the discounted eggs but Mr Ang, who is sole proprietor of Ang Seng Eggs Supplier, will also donate 1,500 eggs per month.

This is one of the initiatives funded by #OCBCCares, the bank's expanded corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, which has an annual budget of $600,000.

The money will fund promising initiatives proposed by 15 charity partners, who support causes such as vulnerable children and environmental sustainability.

The programme was soft-launched in December, with the bank already committing to fund nine CSR projects at a total cost of S$300,000.

Another project funded by #OCBCCares is the first disability clinic in Singapore, run by the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled in Singapore (MINDS).

"Having a clinic manned by doctors who are trained to work with such patients would minimise the risk of an erroneous diagnosis," explained group chief executive officer Samuel Tsien on the bank's decision to help MINDS.

In a speech at the official launch of the programme on March 2, Mr Tsien said the bank wished to do more for society through the programme.

"These initiatives must deliver long-term benefits to the beneficiaries," said Mr Tsien.

"Having interacted extensively with various types of volunteer groups over the past many years, we have a good understanding of their needs," he added.

He also noted that volunteer hours put in by OCBC staff in Singapore increased three-fold from 2011 to last year, with 1 in 4 employees volunteering their time.

To encourage its employees to volunteer more, the bank even used data analytics.

Studies concluded that younger employees preferred volunteering with their colleagues earlier in the day, but staff with young children would rather go for volunteer activities as a family at a later time.

OCBC hopes understanding these volunteer preferences would help in designing customised activities to attract even more prospective volunteers in the company.