• Homegrown supermarket chain continues to help needy families reduce school expenses since 1983

Local supermarket retailer with a heart, NTUC FairPrice once again reaches out to the community to appeal for donations of primary and secondary school textbooks that are in the current curriculum, in aid of needy students in Singapore. Members of the public are able to show their support by making their donations of textbooks at all 93 NTUC FairPrice outlets island-wide, from now until 30 November 2009.

Since inception in 1983, the annual NTUC FairPrice Used Textbooks Project has since helped over 120,000 needy students nationwide, with over 1.6 million used textbooks collected. Last year, this community project collected over 150,000 textbooks and provided about 11,500 students with textbooks. This year, FairPrice targets to collect 20 per cent more textbooks to help even more students in need.

“NTUC FairPrice constantly seeks out areas where we are able to extend a helping hand and make a difference. We have been reaching out to needy families through many ways, to lighten their financial burden. We continue to appeal to the community at large to extend their support to reduce school expenses of needy students by donating their used textbooks,” said Mr Tan Kian Chew, Group CEO, NTUC FairPrice.

For almost three decades, this community initiative has helped needy families save on textbook expenses, and relieved their financial burden by providing free second-hand textbooks for lower-income families. The project also helps to promote a greener Singapore through recycling of used textbooks and encouraging the value of thrift in students.

The annual FairPrice Used Textbooks Project this year will also see increased participation from local schools. Last year, four schools participated in the project. This year, six schools across the island will join FairPrice as Community Partners to collect, sort, store and distribute textbooks collected. The participating schools this year are Yio Chu Kang Secondary School, St. Anthony Canossian Secondary School, Nanyang Junior College, Changkat Changi Secondary School, Shuqun Secondary School, and Bukit Batok Secondary School.

This community initiative also engages students from all over the island as volunteers, thus encouraging volunteerism and promotes the spirit of community service among the youth.

Books collected from members of the public will be distributed on 7 December 2009. For more information on the project, the public can contact the Used Textbooks Project hotline at 6424 7505 or email at utp@fairprice.com.sg.

In 2006, Global Compact, a United Nations organization which champions corporate social responsibility, named the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project as a Best Practice from Singapore for promoting environmental friendliness and human rights.