By Jade Yong (Intern)
Three weeks ago, I participated in a food drive
organized by Beyond Social Services at the rental flats in Henderson. Even
before the event started, we could see a long line of residents queuing up, an
indication of how important getting a share of free fresh food was to them. For
these residents, their meals are often made up of canned/ dried food and
instant noodles.
The food drive was organized such that the
beneficiaries would enter the area where the food was laid and picked up what
they wanted for a limited amount of time. In the very first round, I was very
surprised to see how swift and ‘garang’ they were! Despite their old age, they
grabbed stalks and stalks of vegetables into their boxes or trolleys. This
continued for the next rounds and the fresh vegetables were wiped out in no
time.
In hindsight, their actions are rather
understandable because fresh produce was truly a luxury to them. The social
worker shared that it was highly difficult for them to purchase fresh food due
to the higher cost. Their relative immobility also made it hard to travel to
the wet market or supermarket.
At the end of the food drive, I walked around and
spotted a few children playing at the playground. I couldn’t help but notice
how skinny they all were, and my heart ached for them. These children from the
low-income groups are all growing but they often eat instant noodles/ canned
food to satisfy their hunger. The nutrition level of such kinds of food is not
ideal especially at a time of growth and development. They definitely need more
nutritious food just like the working adults who often do laborious jobs or
elderly with health conditions living in the rental flats.
Food insecurity EXISTS in Singapore even if many of
us may not experience or see it. I believe that we can all do our part to
ensure that we make the term “Food Paradise” truly inclusive, even for the
underprivileged.
