Activist urges Singaporeans: Buy a meal for an elderly person

Singapore — Activist Gilbert Goh and his team have been going around helping the less fortunate more frequently since the Covid-19 pandemic. They have given blankets, food or simply drawn attention on social media to those who are homeless or in need, especially the elderly.

Mr Goh has gained a following by telling snippets of people’s stories on his Facebook page as he and his team go around at night helping those who are sleeping rough. The slogan he uses to end his posts has become familiar to many Singaporeans: “Do Something Good For Singapore”.

His most recent post of buying a meal for an elderly woman at a hawker centre on Sunday (Oct 4) has gone viral.

Mr Goh posted a picture of the woman along with a plate of the meal he had bought her, which looked to be chicken, vegetables, eggs and rice.

He wrote that he had seen her go from table to table and surmised that she did not have the money to buy food for herself.

According to Mr Goh, elderly people can be frequently seen at hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts, “hoping for a Good Samaritan to buy them a meal”.

He appealed to Singaporeans to be those Good Samaritans: “If you see a elderly seated at a table for a long period surveying the stalls, chances are they are hungry but can’t afford to buy the food.”

There is a natural barrier of shyness to be overcome, Mr Goh writes, even for a longtime activist like himself.

“It took me a long while of hesitation before I could muster up the courage and bought her the food. They may reject the food but if they need it, they will thank you profusely for it.”

He ended his post, which has been shared nearly 250 times as of this writing, with the now-familiar call: “Do Something Good For Singapore.”

Among those commenting on the post were people who had seen similar cases at hawker centres. One person said he would look out for them and take the risk to buy them food.

Mr Goh was a member of the Peoples Voice team that stood in a three-way battle in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in this year’s General Election. /TISG

Read also: Social activist Gilbert Goh posts photo of “the most pitiful homeless person”

Social activist Gilbert Goh posts photo of “the most pitiful homeless person”