Want to help out during Covid-19 but don’t know how to? Here are some places you can start with.
SINGAPORE (June 12): Although the “circuit breaker” has been partially lifted, it will still take a while for Singapore to recover and times are tough and everyone is affected. This is the time that we can stand united and help one another to work towards recovering and building the country back.
Help comes in all shapes and sizes, and it does not necessarily have to be in money. It can be donating old but in good condition clothes, essential items like food or even just a bit of your time to help those in need. Here are some ways you can help the community.
Contribute.sg
If you have new face masks on hand, you can donate them to Contribute.sg. They welcome donations of new surgical or N95 masks and other sanitising items. These items will be passed on to help those in the voluntary welfare organisations, non-governmental organisations, medical institutions as well as those who work in the frontline — either healthcare staff or taxi and private hire drivers. The donations will also be distributed to other sectors of the society who are in need, such as home bound patients, lower-income families.
You are encouraged to send your contributions to the drop off points at the Singapore Visitor Centre at Kim Choo Kueh Chang and the Home Nursing Foundation at Toa Payoh Central by courier service. As of April 21, Contribute.sg has distributed some 102,440 face masks and about 271,330ml of sanitiser and disinfectant.
Red Cross
Singapore Red Cross (SRC) is bringing aid aimed at providing support and relief for the vulnerable amid the Covid-19 pandemic. SRC is intending to raise $768,000 and the fund will be delivered in the form of customised care packages and psychosocial support calls for seniors living alone as well as sanitation kits for volunteers and staff working on the ground.
This is slated to be distributed from April to June and the care packages are expected to help about 1,000 seniors across SRC’s ElderAid, Medical Chaperone and TransportAid as well as the Home Monitoring and Eldercare (HoME+) services. In consideration of the varied needs of its beneficiaries, the care package will comprise food, medical, hygiene and household items.
Giving.sg
This platform is hosted by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), which is registered as one of the Institutions of Public Character (IPC). There are more than 500 non-profit charities, funds and societies registered on Giving.sg’s website. You can find a compilation of registered Covid-19-related charities in the SG United page (Giving.sg/sgunited) and choose which charity you would like to help. SG United is a government initiative set up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Here, you can choose to donate in kind, cash or even volunteer your time at ongoing and upcoming programmes.
Food Bank Singapore
You can drop off canned items, dried and preserved food or even snacks and nonrefrigerated beverages at Food Bank boxes located all around Singapore. Check out foodbank.sg to find the one nearest to you.
You can also help both the needy and local food and beverage businesses by donating to the Feed The City (take-away edition) campaign by the Food Bank. Feed the City also partners Eat for Good — a collaborative initiative by NVPC’s Company of Good — that aims to bring people in the food and dining space together to make doing good a part of daily encounters.
Majulah Belanja
Singapore’s migrant worker community are among the most affected by this pandemic. In comes Majulah Belanja, a project by the Covid-19 Migrant Support Coalition (CMSC) formed to match donations from the public (in kind) to the dorm operators’ wish list items for the workers living in their dorms.
Feel free to donate necessities, supplies and even board games to help them pass time while completing their quarantine. Majulah Belanja takes in various offers, such as time, skills, food and supplies, except cash and clothing (for hygiene reasons). For cash donations, you may support them through their other platform Ray of Hope, which aims to raise $1 million to support the immediate and medium term needs of migrant workers during this period.
Engineering Good
As home-based learning becomes the new norm for students, many from low-income families are finding it difficult to cope as they do not own laptops. If you happen to have an old laptop lying around, hand them over to Engineering Good, a non-profit organisation that empowers disadvantaged communities by improving their quality of life through sustainable engineering solutions. You can also donate laptop parts, accessories and even bags.
Even faulty laptops are needed — just make sure it is clean and the good people at Engineering Good will send them for repairs. These refurbished laptops will then be passed on to beneficiaries from the South Central Community Family Service Centre and the Salvation Army. As they say, it’s the thought that counts.
