Since dining in was banned a week ago, many of us have been resorting to ordering food online or visiting nearby stalls to dabao our meals.
But with considerably less footfall in populated areas, this period is extremely challenging for business owners, especially elderly hawkers who are not well-versed with technology.
Now, a lady has started an initiative on Instagram to help technologically illiterate hawkers by featuring them and their stories.
She hopes to give these hawkers a platform that will bring more customers their way in this difficult period.
With fewer people out and about, some hawkers estimated that footfall has dropped by around 70%.
Many hawkers are once again, turning to online delivery services to reach a wider pool of customers.
Seeing how elderly hawkers struggle with technology, a concerned Singaporean set up an Instagram account called @wheretodapao was set up to help them through the Covid-19 period.
@wheretodapao features stories of elderly hawkers, such as this hawker auntie who operates a Hainanese curry rice stall at Maxwell Food Centre.
The account creator shares that the auntie was waiting for customers in the deserted hawker.
Her stall is a family-owned business that has been operating for over 70 years. The auntie also said that she only goes home when her food has been sold out.
This made the account creator wonder how long she has to keep her stall open every day before selling out during Phase 2 (Heightened Alert).
The lady is now asking for the public to help contribute to the initiative by sharing stories of elderly hawkers.
Simply take a picture of the stall owner in front of their stall and talk to them to understand their current situation.
Then, do a short write-up on how their business has been affected by the Covid-19 situation.
You will need to include details such as the stall location and opening hours as well. Then, send it over via WhatsApp to 9754 9865 to contribute and hopefully, bring more customers their way.
Since the start of the pandemic, many have started such meaningful initiatives.
Another initiative, Just Dabao on Instagram – @just.dabao – is a sustainable initiative where customers can visit their website and order unsold food from eateries to prevent wastage.
The food can even be filtered based on cuisine and to suit various dietary requirements.
Select what you want to ‘rescue’ from a selection of Shiok Bags available.
You can visit their Instagram page here to find out more.
Both @wheretodapao and @just.dabao are excellent initiatives that bring awareness to the plight of elderly hawkers and eateries struggling during this Covid-19 period.
They also encourage the public to unite in helping out hawkers and eatery owners who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
Check out the list of featured hawkers and Shiok Bags to gain some inspiration on what to get for your next meal.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at hello@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Instagram.
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