Despite the ongoing pandemic significantly affecting social interaction and public volunteerism, it was no deterrent for a group of 34 individuals from NUSS comprising members and their families, and NUSS staff who set aside time on a Saturday morning (28 November 2020) to help out at Willing Hearts.
A secular, non-affliated charity, Willing Hearts is wholly run by volunteers, apart from a handful of staff. It operates a soup kitchen and distributes around 9,500 daily meals to over 40 locations island wide, year round.
From 8.30am to 12pm, our members busied themselves with the preparation of ingredients, cooking and packing of meals, and distribution to the beneficiaries. Although it was gruelling for a weekend, the cool weather, good company and spirit of giving made the task rewarding and time seemed to pass faster.
Mr Daniel Chia, Co-chairperson of NUSS’ Community Care & Cultural Sub-Committee said, “It was great to be able to see the entire process of preparation coming through. From the logistics, cutting of vegetables, cooking of meals and delivering them personally to witnessing the looks on the beneficiaries’ faces.”
First-timer Mr Khoo Chong Ming felt that the event was very meaningful. He commented, “It was quite insightful to attend the event and I enjoyed the experience. Hope to see more of such events in the future.”
Volunteers who used to help out at Willing Hearts were also happy to share this experience again with their younger ones. “It is nice to be able to relive these volunteering memories again with my children now that they are older”, a member quipped.
Would you like to participate in future events like these? Keep your eyes peeled on our social media pages or website for our next event. Let’s build a caring and giving Society together!
