Durian Kaki Fundraiser With Pay-What-You-Want Prices Raised $7,850 For Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home
Noble causes usually entail some sort of cost, but if those in need can be helped, that’s perhaps enough. This was what Durian Kaki, a local durian merchant in Balestier, found when they held a Pay-What-You-Want charity drive on 14 Dec to help Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home.
Lianhe Wanbao reported 15 Dec (Sun) that around 200 people attended the event, which is not a bad turnout.
However, just $4,850 was raised from the durian sales.
Several buyers were unwilling to pay more than $10 for the durians – some even paid $2 or $4 for whole durians.
Generous donation restores faith in humanity
Durian Kaki, in a Facebook post made the day following the fundraiser, gave special thanks to a particular contributor who donated $3,000 despite not being able to turn up for the event.
Durian Kaki managed to raise a total of $7,850 for the home thanks to this generous donor.
However, this total sum raised paled in comparison to the total cost of the Mao Shan Wang durians, which were imported from Malaysia and cost roughly $36 per kilogram.
Funds raised does not bother Durian Kaki, since it’s for a good cause
Despite this, Durian Kaki remained upbeat, and said in an interview with 8World News that they expected to raise around $8000 to $15,000.
The Facebook post was also notably cordial, with no blame placed on the customers who paid miserly sums for the durians.
Albeit, they acknowledged in the comment section that the process could be improved – as 1 commentator suggested – by setting a minimum sum so that more can go to the needy.
After all, fundraising is about the sum raised, and not the sum lost. They surely expected to lose quite a bit from the fundraiser, but $7,850 still goes to Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home.
That, as far as they’re concerned, is a win.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and 8World News.Â
