FairPrice pledges $1.2m in aid to 600 families over 3 years
To help low-income families cope with the higher costs of living, FairPrice has pledged to donate $1.2 million to 600 families over three years.
The beneficiaries are families under the Singapore Red Cross-FairPrice Meals with Love programme, which provides FairPrice vouchers to vulnerable families. These include low-income and single-parent households.
How much each household receives will depend on the number of people in it. A family of four will receive an average of $250 every month. Reviews and assessments are carried out by volunteers every six months to monitor improvements in the families' conditions, with the amount in donations adjusted accordingly.
While Red Cross Singapore has been running the programme since 2013, it is the first time the FairPrice Group has come on board as a sponsor.
Food stall assistant Ng Kok Peng, 46, a beneficiary of the programme, was retrenched from his job as a renovation project manager in January last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Though he was able to find a job subsequently, he had to take a $1,000 pay cut.
Mr Ng, who is a single parent and the sole breadwinner of a family with two children, aged six and seven, as well as the caregiver of his 76-year-old mother, said he struggled to pay his children's expenses.
On Wednesday (Jan 26), he was presented with $250 in FairPrice vouchers by Singapore Red Cross chief executive Benjamin William and FairPrice Group, Group CEO Seah Kian Peng.
Said a happy Mr Ng: "With these vouchers, I can afford expenses for my children without having to worry about whether I can afford daily necessities."
The public can contribute to this initiative by donating to beneficiaries via the Red Cross website or through volunteering, where one can collect and deliver food vouchers and befriend the families.
So far, more than 30 FairPrice Group employees have signed up to be befrienders for the programme's first cycle. Among them is Ms Isabel Ong, 26, senior executive, partnerships at FairPrice Online.
"This is not just about giving vouchers. You get to be on the ground and speak to the beneficiaries, and see what other issues they have that were not flagged," she said.
On the importance of befriending, Mr William said: "Beyond their physical needs, many of these families also need someone to talk to. It is important that we reach out with a human face and human hand when we interact with those in need."
The efforts to assist vulnerable households with their household needs come amid rising inflation, with Singapore's core inflation rate in December last year climbing by its fastest pace in nearly eight years.
Mr Seah said helping families manage the cost of living is something that has always been important to FairPrice Group.
"We have collaborated with the Red Cross for many years but this programme is more significant. It is something very relevant to us, and something we agree we can do more of, especially in this period where Covid-19 hit many Singaporeans very significantly," he added.
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