FairPrice’s chairman, board members and senior management team sold over 9,000 boxes of mandarin oranges for charity; FairPrice Foundation fulfils pledge and donates $200,000 to Ren Ci Hospital and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society
FairPrice and Youth Corps Singapore (a division of National Youth Council) create more volunteering opportunities for youth to serve the community through the FairPrice Volunteer Programme
SINGAPORE, 23 February 2018 – NTUC FairPrice (FairPrice) announced today its charity arm, FairPrice Foundation, is donating $200,000 to Ren Ci Hospital and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society through the “One FairPrice Family” initiative this year. The programme involved its chairman, board members and senior management team working alongside frontline staff at FairPrice stores selling mandarin oranges for charity over the Lunar New Year period. FairPrice also announced its partnership with Youth Corps Singapore to create more opportunities for youth to serve the community through its FairPrice Volunteer Programme.
Mr Seah Kian Peng, CEO of NTUC FairPrice, said, “We are heartened by the overwhelming support by our customers for this charity initiative over the Lunar New year season to do good for those in need. Our $200,000 donation to charity will help provide the necessary care and support to the beneficiaries, and at the same time, it symbolises the generosity and goodwill of our community.”
FairPrice had earlier pledged to donate $38 – up to $200,000 – for each box of mandarin oranges purchased by the public through its chairman, board members and senior management team. They sold over 9,000 boxes of mandarin oranges, and the full amount of $200,000 will be donated to charity.
The announcement was made at a FairPrice Volunteers Programme event held at Ren Ci @ Ang Mo Kio today, where FairPrice volunteers celebrated Lunar New Year with residents by tossing “yusheng”, distributing mandarin oranges, singing festive songs, and playing games. FairPrice has been actively supporting Ren Ci since 2009.
Extends volunteering opportunities to youths
To further enhance the FairPrice Volunteer Programme, a structured staff volunteering initiative, FairPrice announced today a partnership with Youth Corps Singapore to create more volunteering opportunities for youths to amplify the social impact of its volunteering programme. Starting in May this year, Youth Corps Singapore volunteers will be able to serve alongside FairPrice volunteers to facilitate supermarket shopping trips for needy elderly beneficiaries from various voluntary welfare organisations. Apart from shopping and helping to carry groceries, the volunteers will get to spend time with the seniors and educate them on making healthier food choices. This joint initiative aims to foster a culture of giving among youth, while promoting multi-generational bonding within the community. FairPrice aims to engage over 100 youths through the partnership this year. This is aligned with the SG Cares national movement in harnessing the goodwill and kindness of the community to volunteer and contribute towards helping those in need in our society.
Commenting on the partnership with Youth Corps, Mr Seah added, “There are many merits to volunteerism and we want to inculcate in our youth the spirit of giving and caring for the less fortunate. Volunteering also helps to enhance one’s social skills and provides a more holistic perspective of life and our responsibility to society at large. Partnering Youth Corps Singapore will allow us to galvanise youths to reap the benefits of volunteering and join us in engaging the community.”
Executive Director of Youth Corps Singapore, Mr Ong Kah Kuang, said: “Youth Corps Singapore is pleased to partner NTUC FairPrice for its community service event “Shop for a Cause”. We hope that through this shared experience, our youths will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of our seniors, in turn improving their interactions with them in their daily lives.”
Since 2012, FairPrice staff have contributed over 22,000 volunteer hours through various activities such as packing and distributing food to those in need, visiting beneficiaries’ homes or participating in excursions with them such as movies or park visits, and cleaning the homes of elderly residents who live alone. Efforts this year are expected to reach more than 1,000 beneficiaries through more than 30 activities at various organisations.
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