Grocery Shelves In Yishun That Lets You Take And Give Food Voluntarily

We have heard all sorts of stories about Yishun and we would expect something a little funky or nasty when we see “Yishun” in a headline. Well, not this one.

Shelves With Love

Located at Yishun Street 51 Blk 513C, TheJumaatInitiatives is a community project that was born by Singaporeans for Singaporeans to ease the burdens of those who need it.

These shelves were put up so that residents can donate as and when they can and others can receive their love by taking as much food as needed.

Mr Haswan, the man behind the project said, “A good neighbour does not sleep well knowing his neighbour goes to sleep hungry.” This would hopefully spark the compassion of netizens to come down and help when they can.

Our grandparents always speak of the kampung spirit (village togetherness spirit) from their youth but how many of us actually know what it means? Mr Haswan has displayed that spirit in his attempt to better the lives that live in his kampung.

Food donations mostly include non-perishable items and dried items such as instant coffee and instant noodles. The better kind, at that, with different flavours like curry and chicken.

This is a great act of selflessness and togetherness as we tackle the new COVID-19 world together.

Many of us have lost our jobs and are unable to provide for our families are surely struggling at this time. Initiatives like this could help these families focus on bouncing back without having to worry too much about food.

Pouring Out In Love And Care

The initiative has barely existed for a couple of weeks and netizens and residents living around the block has come forward to donate large amounts of food items.

Even if you live on the other end of the country or do not have the capacity to donate, a snap and share on your social media may just reach out to those who can.

Canned food, instant noodles, hot beverages and rice are the safest bet as you wonder what you can donate. These dried goods are less likely to go bad and contaminate the shelf while waiting for hungry hands to pick them up.

We all get forgetful sometimes but let us not forget to check the expiry dates on the food items we intend to donate.

Food Safety In Singapore

Can you imagine not being able to afford a $3 pack of instant noodles or $3.50 plate of chicken rice? That is the reality for some of our brothers and sisters.

Despite being a relatively food secure country, there are still citizens that are unable to provide enough food for their families.

In a report by State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019, the United Nations (UN) acknowledged that 4.1% of Singaporeans faced moderate to severe food insecurity between 2016 and 2018.

If you don’t think that is alarming yet, 4.1% is 229,600 citizens, including the young and elderly.

Maybe it is time for us to take a deeper look at the problems we tend to overlook. No longer as simple as irritating Personal Mobility Devices, this concerns human lives.