Never too young to volunteer
Jannik Oh is seven years old. It was not too long ago that he relied on a buddy system to help him navigate Primary 1.
But as a volunteer under the My Shopping Partner programme, Jannik helped a man many years his senior.
Jannik and his 11-year-old brother Jerick helped Mr Guo Zanxiang, 88, buy groceries at the supermarket at Block 31A Margaret Drive.
Encouraged by their 42-year-old mother Janjira Jaruprateepkul, who found out about the volunteer programme through a group chat, the brothers helped Mr Guo find the items on his shopping list and carried them for him.
Jannik and Jerick were initially apprehensive about language barrier as they are not fluent in Mandarin but they got along well with Mr Guo once they warmed up.
In fact, the brothers look forward to their next volunteering session.
"I feel very happy and accomplished, and I look forward to my next volunteer activity, especially in helping the elderly. I think they are very friendly," Jerick told Lianhe Zaobao.
My Shopping Partner was organised by Queenstown Community Centre and supported by SportSG's national volunteerism movement Team Nila.
Mr Guo was one of the 200 seniors who took part in the annual programme and they were given $50 worth of supermarket vouchers each.
"I usually do not spend much, but I am still very happy to receive the vouchers," said the widower who lives alone.
Ministry of Social and Family Development's Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua said that other than extending help to the elderly, the vouchers were handed out in hopes of motivating the elderly to step outside and get active.
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