The Food Bank Singapore (FBSG) organised the inaugural Feed the City event for 1,000 people in need from their list of beneficiary members, that was held at City Developments Limited’s (CDL) City Square Mall on Saturday 13th April 2019 from 10am to 4pm.
At the launch of the Feed the City event, looking around at the various booths from The Food Bank Singapore, their supporting sponsors and partners. I was brought back in time when I was involved in my alma mater Dragon Scout Group social work/charity event (can’t remember when it took place, maybe 1995?) to collect food supplies/donations for a small community of people in need living nearby my secondary school, Gan Eng Seng School. A few years back, I went with fellow alumni friends from University of Queensland Alumni Association of Singapore to Willing Hearts, preparing and cooking meals on a early weekend Saturday morning for people in need. This was also why Feed the City by FBSG striked a chord inside me.
FBSG is a registered charity with IPC status, they currently has more than 300 non-government organisations under its network and reaches out to more than 150,000 beneficiaries.
“FBSG has always been looking at innovative partnerships to propel our cause forward. We are humbled to be selected by TangoTab as the beneficiary of choice for Singapore. The Feed the City event, organised with support from CDL, is a testimony of our common vision to eradicate food insecurity. Together as a community, we are able to take greater strides for all,” said Nicholas Ng, Co-founder of FBSG.
“Food waste is one of the largest sources of waste in Singapore and CDL is pleased to host Asia’s first Feed the City campaign at our City Square Mall. Supporting efforts to reduce food waste has always been part of our longstanding commitment to sustainability. We hope that the event at City Square Mall will help to further encourage sustainable lifestyles and consumption choices, and raise awareness on the global food waste problem.,” said Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer of CDL.
Feed the City event also marked the launch of this social impact app TangoTab in Singapore. TangoTab is an easy way for people to help other people in need, helping to feed them without costing a cent. Every time a diner checks in to a partner establishment on the TangoTab app, TangoTab makes a donation to FBSG to feed a person in need who is hungry. TangoTab was founded in 2012, they have donated more than three million meals to partners in the U.S. They are now in Singapore, aiming to encourage more diners and F&B businesses to take action and support the movement to reduce food insecurity in Singapore.
“What we love about Singapore is that it’s a tight-knit community and they care about their neighbours. In Singapore, 1 in 10 individuals go to bed hungry every night. This launch of the TangoTab app in Singapore is only the first step of us creating a sustainable impact in this city to help feed the food insecure. We are here to stay and we know that together with FBSG, we can either end hunger or come really close to doing so,” said Andre Angel, Founder and CEO of TangoTab.
There are two issues in Singapore that are gaining more concern and attention in recent years.
Food Waste
While Singporeans are known to love their food, from local hawker to international cuisines, Singapore doesn’t have a good reputation on food waste given her relative small land size and economy. There have been campaigns and movements on reducing food waste in Singapore.
Food Insecurity
This is a sensitive topic, although Singapore is now a pretty prosperous country with high GDP growth per capita, yet there are fellow Singaporeans among us who fell through the cracks and are struggling to catch up. Food insecurity is a real issue for this group of people in need.
Reducing food waste through FBSG movements and efforts can help those people in need facing food insecurity in Singapore. You can play a part too, no matter how big or small, in these two areas, reducing food waste and food insecurity in Singapore.
For more information about The Food Bank Singapore
Website:https://www.foodbank.sg
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thefoodbanksingapore
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/foodbanksg/
For more information on TangoTab
Website:http://www.tangotab.com
Twitter:https://twitter.com/TangoTab
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TangoTab/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tangotab/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/tangotab
* I would like to thank The Food Bank Singapore and CIZA Concept for the invitation to the inaugural Feed the City event *