2,400 lower-income families now able to redeem more fresh produce at Community Shops under new initiative
The initiative would supply fresh produce to Food from the Heart Community Shops for over three years.
Lower-income families are able to redeem more fresh produce at charity organisation Food from the Heart’s (FFTH) Community Shops as part of a new initiative with Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).
The RWS Eat Well @ Community Shop initiative officially launched on Monday (Sep 4) and will fund FFTH with $300,000 worth of fresh produce in its Community Shops. These food items will be supplied to lower-income families over the next three years.
Currently, there are four FFTH Community Shops located in Boon Lay, Lengkok Bahru, Mountbatten and Punggol. These shop-for-free minimarts currently cater to 2,400 lower-income families islandwide, and distribute food items to those in need.
With the new initiative, lower-income families will have better access to fresh and nutritious food, such as chinese cabbage, choy sum, kailan and eggs.
This is especially beneficial to those struggling to adapt to higher living costs, where they would bring home food items with a longer shelf life – one example being non-perishables like canned food – at the expense of a lack of balanced nutrition.
Every household under the initiative can select up to two additional fresh food items every month for free, after their existing monthly entitlement of 12 essential non-perishable food items.
RWS Eat Well @ Community Shop was first rolled out in March and garnered positive results from lower-income families. Since the initiative’s introduction, FFTH saw a surge in fresh produce redemptions at its Community Shops, said RWS. Eggs made up almost half of the redemptions, followed by chinese cabbage and choy sum.
The initial rollout encouraged households to redeem four times more fresh produce than usual at the minimarts.
RWS senior vice president of attractions and sustainability Loh Su Kim said the initiative will not only “foster healthier eating habits among vulnerable groups” and help them “get better access to fresh and nutritious food”, it also supports Singapore’s local agriculture and farming community.
