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Published: 14 November 2023, Tuesday
On November 10, 2023, with the help of over 1,200 corporate, student and individual volunteers, Food from the Heart brought back our highly-anticipated signature event Toy Buffet. The annual one-day carnival event for underprivileged children finally made its return after a three-year hiatus.
A day honouring every child, who are all heroes in their own right and space, and possesses limitless potential
We were thrilled to host about 2,000 children from lower income families, treating them to carnival games, yummy treats and at least three toys they can choose to take home with! Each year, a theme is carefully chosen for the children, between the ages of five to 13, to immerse in the experience, while inspiring positivity and encouraging them to dream and pursue their goals. The theme for this year’s Toy Buffet was Space Heroes: Infinite Possibilities.
Gracing the occasion was Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Social and Family Development, who spoke to volunteers and mingled with the children at the event
Our bubbly host Hui Xing's infectious energy made the event lively
In light of empowering those in need, particularly through the Forward Singapore initiative, where the vision is for Singapore to develop as a fairer, more just and more equal society and where everyone feels assured about their basic needs and no one gets left behind, FFTH CEO Robin Lee said, "Toy Buffet is one of the avenues through which we at Food from the Heart help to bring happiness to underprivileged children by offering toys, games, and treats. Our aim is to convey a message of hope and love while giving them a unique and cherished experience."
The message of love and hope was felt throughout the event
An integral aspect of the Toy Buffet is its opportunity for volunteerism. Food from the Heart actively engaged with individuals and corporate partners, encouraging them to coordinate toy donation campaigns leading up to the event, and to assume various volunteer responsibilities during the event itself. Through partnerships with schools and corporates, FFTH connects people who are willing to help and willing to give, we are able to connect the dots and empower people to serve the community. This year’s event saw a total of 1,200 volunteers, representing more than 60 corporations and seven schools, including OCBC, Lego, Netflix, IKEA, Zalora, Suntec City, Singapore American School, St. Anthony’s Primary School and Raffles Institution (Parents Association), all of whom made significant contributions to the event's success. These volunteers took on a range of roles, from Toy Ambassadors and traffic wardens to gift-wrapping, as well as operating food, games, and toy booths.
Notably, OCBC Bank's staff volunteers handcrafted 3,000 sets of 5-stones for the event's goodie bags
A total of 28 booths were available this year for the children to go around to select their toys from.
Best Docorated Booth (Corporate) was awarded to Netflix!
Corporate Booths
School Booths
Escorting the children from game booths to toy booths and helping them carry their selected toys were the hardworking Toy Ambassadors from Dell Technologies, Changi Airport Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd., Doctor Anywhere, HP, Resorts World Sentosa, SIA, Standard Chartered, UOB and VF Singapore.
Hardworking Toy Ambassadors accompanied the children from game booths to toy booths
Before the event, over the course of two months, a whopping 16,000 toys, pre-loved and brand new, were raised by close to 40 corporates and schools – an unbelievable feat! Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of them:
Corporate
Two-day toy donation drive organised by SUNTEC CITY
School
Triumphant smiles all around! Since its launch in 2004, Toy Buffet has distributed over 50,000 toys to more than 25,000 beneficiaries
Working together with Food from the Heart for the first time is the Asia Toy and Play Association (ATPA), a non-profit that connects stakeholders in the toy industry. The organisation, which aims to promote an industry that provides safe and valuable toys to children everywhere, contributed greatly to the event by bringing together major toy distributors such as Cartamundi, Play Nation, Connetix and EMWAY to donate over 3,000 toys alone.
Matteo Vezzosi, Executive Director, ATPA, said, “The ATPA is happy to connect its members to contribute to this heartwarming event. Our members’ generous contributions underscore our commitment not only to promoting the toy industry but also to giving back to the community. As an association, we believe that play is a fundamental right for all children, and we are delighted to play a part in making this right a reality.
At the Goodie Bag station which was manned by staff from OCBC Bank
Special thanks also to venue sponsor Singapore Polytechnic and generousity of the following sponsors:
LEGO: 3,450 Lego sets for goodie bags and game prizes, 2 mascots (Kai and Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon from the popular Ninjago)
OCBC: 3,000 sets of hand-sewn 5-stones & childhood games for goodie bags
LHN Group (Children's World, Smiley For Kids and Work+Store): Toys
Hai Leck Holdings: Monetary sponsorship of Carnival Game
Novo Holdings Equity Asia Pte Ltd: Sponsorship of snacks
Sunshine Bakeries: Sponsorship of cream buns
BE-KIND: 3,600 Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt Nuts
IKEA: 1,000 bags to carry large-size toys
Hana Dul Set: Full-day unlimited instant photo print booth
See you all at the next Toy Buffet!
