S’poreans Raise $10,000 In 1 Day To Buy Essentials For Needy Families Amid Coronavirus Panic Buying

Donation Drive Helps Needy Families Secure Essentials As Supermarket Shelves Go Empty

After risk assessment rose to DORSCON orange on 7 Feb, Singaporeans started to frantic buy essentials in supermarkets.

Over the weekends, shelves were cleared and restocked quickly, but a group of kind Singaporeans decided to work on something else.

Mr Jason Cai appealed to Singaporeans through the Facebook page PARK $2 Project (P2P) to make donations that will go towards packing goodie bags for Singaporeans in need.

He and fellow volunteers accumulated close to S$10,000 within a day, ensuring that these families can secure food staples and cleaning agents.

Goodie bags contain essentials that may go out of stock

When people buy more than they need, the citizens that lose out are the elderly, the sick and the needy.

Unable to queue for supplies due to various reasons like poor health or packed schedules, they may be unable to acquire essential items.

Hence, a group of kind Samaritans took to Facebook to gather funds, that would go to preparing goodie bags or survival packs essentially, containing such items.

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Besides cooking oil and rice, the proposed list also includes hand wash and toilet rolls that have been going out of stock in supermarkets.

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Helped 202 needy families

Within 24 hours, more than 80 people contributed their share and P2P managed to raise a whopping S$10,000 for this spontaneous project.

P2P also appealed to volunteers to look out for the sick and elderly who may be unable to collect the bags. They plan to arrange for deliveries to these individuals’ homes.

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P2P partnered with social enterprise Kindness Mart, which was in charge of packing the goodie bags worth 5$50 each.

Volunteers from Kindness Mart in another charity project
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They were able to benefit a total of 202 families with the funds raised.

Showing the true Singapore spirit

P2P thanked the donors in this Facebook post, commending them for exhibiting a true Singapore spirit, very different from the one seen in supermarkets.

While they condemn the selfish behaviour of hoarding, they believe in a better way to educate Singaporeans.

Leading by example and donating to those in need in times of crisis, they encourage the public to be calm and kind in times of predicament.

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Through showing their own love and support, Mr Cai hopes that Singaporeans will understand the vital need to remain rational.

For the rest of us, we are assured that there is ample supply and no pressure to buy more than what we need.

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Let’s take this crisis as an opportunity for us to come together for the betterment of our society, rather than for the worst of it.

Featured image adapted from DiscoverSG.