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Published: 10 October 2021, Sunday
Filling our stomachs for the day is something many Singaporeans take for granted. Many of us don’t think twice about heading to the nearest shopping mall or supermarket to pick up groceries or a meal.
But for the needy in Singapore, every additional food expense could mean having to make a sacrifice on other daily necessities. Food security is a constant source of worry for those caught in such a predicament, especially if they have children or seniors in their family to provide for.
One of Food from the Heart’s most important source of food donations is food drives. The food rations from these drives power our Community Food Pack programme, which has been consistently delivering food packs to more than 10,000 needy households every month.
Fun fact: the neatly-bundled food packs that our beneficiaries receive at the end of the day look very different from the bags of food that come in from our food drives. Imagine what a beneficiary would think if he/she had collected a bag that contained five bottles of cooking oil straight from the food donation box!
Well-balanced nutrition is important for our beneficiaries, and Food from the Heart ensures this by sorting through the food rations that are donated. Food safety and item size/quantity are also important considerations. Due to this, the donated food has to go through a sorting process that includes checking item weight and category, as well as quality checks for food safety. They are then packed into standardised food packs to ensure balanced nutrition and fairness across our beneficiaries.
To help donors understand and donate what our beneficiaries need, Food from the Heart launched its Donate Right programme in 2019 to create awareness about the preferred types of food donations in Singapore. Donors can also refer to our online food donation wishlist, which is constantly updated.
Donating food through a food drive is not the only way to help us fill our food packs. An even more convenient way to do so is to order food items via supermarkets online and have them delivered to Food from the Heart. Find out more details about donating through deliveries.
A valuable way individuals and groups help raise food rations for us is by organising a food drive yourselves. A large proportion of food from Food from the Heart’s food packs comes from food donation drives held in Singapore by corporates, schools, various interest groups and individuals. In many cases, food drives serve to double as corporate bonding programmes, the Values in Action programmes for students, or even to mark an important occasion or celebration.
As Food from the Heart has limited manpower resources, we count on external parties to hold food drives for us. Each additional food drive also means an additional location for food donation, making food donation in Singapore more accessible to more people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there fixed timings and/or locations to conduct a food drive for Food from the Heart?
No, food donation drives are planned entirely by you. This means that you get to choose the length of time you want to hold it for, where you’d like to do it, how much food you target to raise, etc. Food from the Heart welcomes food donations throughout the year as our distributions are consistent and always ongoing. We especially need food during this time of the pandemic to feed the increasing number of needy beneficiaries.
What items should be collected for a food drive?
We ask for non-perishable food items, and healthier choice items. For an updated list of items, refer to our food donation wishlist.
What are some considerations when planning a food drive?
Date and Duration: Plan in advance. Think about when and how long you would like the food drive to be held.
Venue: Which space will be the most accessible for your target audience? Where will you be storing the collected food items? Other than the above, do remember to ask for permission to use the space.
Logistics: Think about the manpower, storage space and transport needed. It is important to ensure that your logistics will be able to contain the projected number of food.
Marketing: Are there any marketing efforts to roll out beforehand? How will you achieve your targeted amount of food? Having a good marketing strategy goes a long way to garner a greater crowd!
To help you successfully organise a food drive, Food from the Heart has created templates and reference guides for anyone who wishes to help. Enquire with us for more information regarding food drives today!
