Restaurant Co-Owner & Staff Cook 10,000 Meals For Singapore Frontliners
During the battle against Covid-19, we learnt of the plight of healthcare workers, who worked tirelessly to cope with the rising infections. These testimonies and stories moved many Singaporeans.
Among them was Thomas Choong, co-owner of Chinese cuisine restaurant group Xi Yan in Chinatown, who felt a duty to honour our invisible heroes during these trying times.
Thomas Choong (left)
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
This is the story of how Mr Choong, along with his dedicated team, cooked and delivered 10,000 meals to local frontliners—all within 2 months.
Through his efforts, he has a newfound appreciation for healthcare workers, who shoulder great physical and emotional burdens to keep Singapore going during the pandemic.
Prepared 10,000 meals for frontliners in 5 hospitals
Throughout the pandemic, kind-hearted Singaporeans thought of ways to show their appreciation to frontline workers—some ferried them to their workplaces, while others shared words of encouragement on social media.
For Mr Choong, it was to ensure frontline workers had access to good food to keep them going through the day.
Having previously done countless community outreach projects with his restaurant group, he got together with several like-minded friends and customers to launch a rousing initiative for frontliners.
Everyone felt like it was something that we should work on during this tough period. So we gathered together to plan the initiative.
With his staff’s cooking expertise, he spearheaded the campaign for what he thought would be a private, one-off event.
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
Initially giving a few thousand meals only to frontliners at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), their efforts quickly spawned donations to 4 more health institutions.
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
When word got out, the project expanded to preparing and delivering 10,000 meals to:
- National University Hospital (NUH)
- Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)
- Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital (KTPH)
- Yishun Community Hospital.
Minister Shanmugam was roped in to help with deliveries in Yishun
From May to Aug 2020, volunteers started delivering meals from the wee hours of the morning.
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
Through an intricate delivery route, which ensured all meals were delivered hot before 11am, the group ensured frontline workers received their specially curated rice boxes.
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
Sometime in Jul 2020, Mr Choong even managed to get Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam on board to help pack the meals.
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
Rolling his sleeves up for a good cause, the minister packed countless meal boxes alongside Mr Choong and other volunteers.
As Nee Soon GRC MP, he also helped connect Mr Choong to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Yishun Community Hospital to expand their meal delivery initiative.
Fine dining bento meals for heroic frontliners
Their appreciation for the frontliners showed in the meals they packed.
Instead of simply doing the bare minimum for the 10,000 sets, Mr Choong and his volunteers poured their time, effort, and care into each set.
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
Premium ingredients such as Momotaro tomatoes and black truffle were some of the specialities used to concoct these dishes.
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
And the love they put into these lunch meals was well-received and reciprocated by the frontliners.
Image courtesy of Xi Yan Group
Touched by the volunteers’ gestures, the frontline staff showed their thanks through various means. Some sent heartfelt messages personally to Mr Choong, while others snapped pictures of their meals and posted them on social media.
Packing & delivering meals provided a new perspective
As these meal donation drives continued in 2021, they eventually petered out when new measures took the workload off our frontline workers.
With restaurants opening up once again, Mr Choong had to tend to his business but looked back favourably on the whole experience.
“The whole experience was very new. It was different from our previous charity events, and I was more hands-on with the process. Packing and delivering food gave me satisfaction and fulfilment,” he said.
He also learned about the untold stories of the healthcare workers. Mr Choong has since found a new appreciation for healthcare workers after learning of their jobs’ psychological and emotional weight.
“Some of the doctors shared with me the stresses felt by healthcare workers. There was a sense of risk and urgency among them as they wanted to protect Singapore and avoid fatalities to the best of their capabilities.
Shouldering this burden can take a toll on one’s physical and emotional health in the long run.
The experience also reminded Mr Choong of the importance of customer service, as even the smallest consideration for the receiver could leave a significant impact on them.
He thus wishes to carry on this ethos into other aspects of his job and, where possible, will get his hands dirty for any future charity efforts.
Supporting healthcare workers, one meal at a time
The pandemic spared no one when it came to overturning our lives. But even in the darkest of times, bright lights can shine and bring hope for those who may be struggling.
Mr Choong and his team of volunteers have proven to be just that, making these difficult times a little easier for our heroes at the frontlines.
Certainly, we can hail them as heroes too, for their unwavering support and compassion towards local frontline workers.
Kudos to Mr Choong and all those who helped, and we wish them the best for their future outreach efforts.
This post was brought to you in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
Featured image courtesy of Thomas Choong and Xi Yan Group.
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