As food prices continue to go up, many low-income families struggle to put food on the table as salaries are not increasing as quickly so The Food Bank Singapore (FBSG) aims to help with that.
What the charity does is that it collects and delivers food donated from individuals and businesses to the less privileged in Singapore.
In a bid to curb a decrease in donations, coupled with an increase in demand for food support during the COVID-19 pandemic, FBSG recently launched a new initiative called Feed The City (Take-away Edition) programme.
It is expected to last two months or until the COVID-19 situation improves.
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, FBSG has experienced a drastic 70 percent drop in donations. Operations and distribution activities have also been affected with dwindling volunteer involvement.
This precarious situation is exacerbated by a predicted increase in demand for food support as more people are placed on no-pay leave or let go with retail businesses taking a massive hit.
– Nichol Ng, co-founder of The Food Bank Singapore
Targeting to deliver 50,000 meals to needy families, the programme hopes to attract more donors that pay for the meals and food and beverage (F&B) partners to provide cooked meals at special rates.
F&B establishments in the programme will be requested to curate meals that costs between $5 and $8 to ensure that funds from donors go the extra mile.
Hitting Two Birds With One Stone
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen many companies impose pay cuts as well as hiring and salary freezes.
F&B businesses have also taken a massive hit as less customers patronise their premises and more stay home.
Through this initiative, we are using the cash donations to buy meals from local eateries. It also gives the F&B (businesses) something positive to work towards together with their loyal clientele.
– Nichol Ng, co-founder of The Food Bank Singapore
This Feed The City (Take-away Edition) Programme will be a win-win for the struggling F&B industry and the needy. Through this initiative, FBSG will be helping to boost the sales of local F&B businesses and also provide meals to the underprivileged.
Many of the underprivileged include senior citizens and families affected by job losses and no-pay leave from this pandemic.
Geneco And Grain Singapore Joins The Fight
First to come onboard the programme is electricity retailer Geneco which has pledged up to 1,000 meals under this initiative.
Geneco is an existing partner of FBSG and has hosted Bank Boxes at their roadshows for people to donate their unwanted food items.
When you share their social media campaign and tag a friend on Facebook and Instagram, Geneco will donate a meal.
Meanwhile, online caterer Grain is the first F&B partner under the programme.
Grain was selected because they can provide halal-certified and healthy meals. They also have the logistics power to distribute door to door due to their fleet strength.
To join the Feed The City programme, potential donors can go to giving.sg and F&B outlets can write to jessie@foodbank.sg.
Featured Image Credit: The Food Bank Singapore / Geneco
