SINGAPORE - From raising funds for migrant workers and school canteen vendors to knitting surgical mask extensions for Muslim colleagues, here are eight ways Singapore's virus vigilantes are looking out for those around them.
GROCERIES ON THE GO
For those who face difficulties getting groceries during the circuit breaker period, NTUC FairPrice brings the mart to them from the back of a van.
The FairPrice On Wheels initiative, which began on April 23, aims to offer essential grocery items, from canned food and cooking oil to bread to toiletries, every day from 9am to 2pm.
The vans operate in mature estates with a higher concentration of low-income seniors, including Telok Blangah Crescent and Jalan Kukoh, and seniors will get to enjoy various discounts. However, the vans are open to all.
Mr Seah Kian Peng, FairPrice Group chief executive officer says: "We aim to bring daily essentials closer to homes, especially for seniors, so that they do not have to spend too much time away from home."
SOCKS AND SHIRTS FOR DECANTED COVID-19 PATIENTS
On Friday, April 17, Mr David Woon saw an online appeal from a nurse from Yishun Community Hospital (YCH) requesting men's clothing. These would be sent to migrant workers in isolation facilities.
The 46-year-old academic liaison director promptly took action, asking friends for clothes, as well as volunteering to consolidate and deliver the donations.
He says: "I set a deadline of 6pm for clothes to be left outside my home and I was pleasantly surprised to see a huge pile. It wouldn't fit into my car and I needed help moving them."
As even more came bearing donations, Mr Woon enlisted their help along with that of his neighbours' to deliver the items to the hospital.
Mr Woon says: "That night, we fulfilled YCH's needs for the moment. We went home tired but happy we made a little difference."
A SPECIAL GIFT FOR CANTEEN VENDORS
F&B businesses of all kinds have been affected by the circuit breaker and canteen vendors are no exception.
Ms Natalie Sin, 18, says: "After the announcement of the circuit breaker, everyone was in a state of distress, but a group of us realised how our canteen vendors would suffer a direct impact due to school closures."
Thus, along with seven others, the School of the Arts student spent the last two days of school urging both cohort-mates and teachers to donate.
Within two days, the team was able to raise $2800, which was used to purchase NTUC vouchers for the stallholders. The students also wrote letters of gratitude to the vendors.
Ms Sin says: "It wasn't a big demonstration, but we hope to cultivate mindfulness among youths, and to extend our care and support if we can do so."
CLASSICAL ART FIGURES LIVE LIFE UNDER CIRCUIT BREAKER
Singaporean artist @thenextmostfamousartist transposes classical figures to modern-day Singapore, showing them struggling, coping and thriving under circuit breaker measures. And he posts the results on Instagram.
The 27-year-old, who prefers to remain anonymous, says: "Recontextualising historical art paintings in a modern context is not a new concept, but I felt I could inject current affairs into my work too."
Figures savour their final cup of bubble tea, slough through a Zoom conference call and social distance on the MRT. These scenes, familiar to many, have met with positive responses.
He says: "We are constantly bombarded by negative news. I want to bring some light-hearted humour to people's feed through my work. I hope it adds some joy, laughter and positive thoughts to their day."
FREE DRINKS FOR FOOD DELIVERY RIDERS
Food delivery drivers who drop by hawker stall Soya Bean & Jelly Drink in Chong Pang Hawker Centre can pick up chilled, freshly made drinks for free. They are available from 9am to 3pm, every Monday to Friday, till the end of the circuit breaker period. "It may not be a lot, but it is within our means," says owner Ms Tricia Ng, 38, who runs the stall with her husband Loh Puay Meng, 41. "We just want to give all drivers some encouragement and warmth during this period."
MASK-WEARING MADE EASIER
For the past few weeks, Ms Neo Su Yin, 40, has been sewing buttons onto hundreds of knitted straps. These are worn as extensions to surgical masks, so it is easier for Muslim women to slip on and off their tudungs. The head of post and parcel delivery and customer experience at Singapore Post (SingPost), began knitting after her Muslim colleagues mentioned that they had to visit the bathroom each time they needed to remove their masks. On April 12, she created the Facebook page Project Co-Knit With Love and rallied together more than 20 knitters and crocheters. They have since distributed about 600 straps to staff from places like SingPost and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. Anyone working in essential services may contact them via their Facebook page for a strap.
ART GALLERY RAISES MORE THAN $60,000
Local art gallery Ode To Art held an online auction for the first time from April 8 to 13, raising $60,600 for low-income households. The 22 works donated included paintings, sculptures, drawings and limited edition prints by nine different artists, such as Chinese artist Wu Qiong and Spanish artist Eva Armisen. Bids started at $500 and went as high as $5,000. Some also donated without bidding for items. All proceeds went to local charity Methodist Welfare Services.
PLANTS FOR FUNDS
Five-year-old Mya Ji has green fingers and a heart of gold. Last week (April 17 and 18), she sold more than 200 plants online to raise $8,500 for the migrant worker community. She had first emptied her piggy bank to make a donation but wanted to do more when she realised that the money would only be enough for "roughly three meals".
"I want to buy the uncles many, many meals," says Mya. "I wanted to sell my plants to take better care of the uncles." She priced them between $3 for a baby lime plant and $10 for a money plant, but most customers donated more than the suggested amount.
Her parents, Jonathan and Amy Ji, aged 35 and 34, organised the sale, while 21-month-old younger brother Nathan helps care for the plants with Mya.
