Singapore — In this season of giving, the Progress Singapore Community Fund (PSCF) is zeroing in on helping not one but two vulnerable groups who have been made even more vulnerable by the pandemic: low-income families as well as Singapore’s beloved hawkers.

PSCF, a charity registered with the Social and Family Development Ministry and chaired by Mr Francis Yuen, will launch its website, www.pscfund.org.sg, on Saturday (Dec 4) at 11 am at Block 376 Bukit Batok Street 31, Hong Kah Food Place.

One of the community fund’s initiatives is the Give-A-Treat Food  Drive, which will provide greatly food assistance to some 250 households of elderly people and needy families who live in studio, two-room, and three-room public housing flats.

The fund will distribute 1,250 meal vouchers to these families. Every household will get five vouchers, each valued at $4, which can be redeemed at designated hawker stalls in Bukit Gombak Food Centre and Ayer Rajah Food Centre this weekend, from Dec 4 to 5.

The voucher giveaway will surely be welcomed also by these hawkers, given the difficulties that the food and beverage business has suffered during the past two years because of the pandemic-induced curbs.

This initiative to benefit low-income families and hawkers is PSCF’s third Give-A-Treat project in the past few months. There are more in the pipeline, including some focused on helping school-age children and youths, due to be launched in 2022. 

This is in line with one of PSCF’s aims, which is to “make a positive impact on the lives of the needy and the sick; and create opportunities for underprivileged children to build a future for themselves”.

The fund welcomes donors and volunteers who wish to join its efforts. Donors may scan the QR code on the “Donate” page of its site, and volunteers may sign up on the “Get Involved” page.

As part of the give-a-treat fundraising efforts , a limited edition “Singapore Vision” watch will be put up for auction this weekend. If you want to bid need to follow the instructions on the landing page of the PSCF site.

“At a time when many in our community are facing serious difficulties in their livelihoods, a little help can mean a lot to them. Our outreach will target the needy, sick and the underprivileged. As a new organisation, we are honoured to be granted charity status. We are also thankful for the kind and generous donations which have given PSCF a good head start,” said PCSF chair Francis Yuen.

“Moving forward, we will be exploring new ideas and leveraging on technology to reach out to the public. We welcome all to join and support us on this journey to foster a more compassionate society.“ /TISG