Non-profit invites political parties to join fundraiser aiming to help elderly cardboard collectors

Non-profit community organisation, Happy People Helping People (HPHP), has invited the political parties in Singapore to join a fundraiser aiming to help elderly cardboard collectors.

HPHP is dedicated to helping the elderly who cannot find proper jobs to make ends meet. Providing the elderly with basic necessities like daily meals, money to pay their bills and monthly outings, HPHP also spreads awareness to the elderly poor – many of whom work as cardboard or used can collectors to survive.

The non-profit is organising a unique fundraiser called ‘A Mile in their Shoes’ to take place on December 14. HPHP has asked the People’s Action Party, the Workers’ Party, the Singapore Democratic Party, the Singapore People’s Party, the National Solidarity Party, the Reform Party, the Progress Singapore Party, and the People’s Power Party to send a representative each to participate in the event.

Each party representative will be joined by a cardboard collector who will guide the representative through a cardboard collecting activity while members of the public are invited to donate funds in one or more of various Give.Asia accounts to support their preferred political party. The collective funds that are raised will ultimately be distributed equally to all of HPHP beneficiaries.

There will be a filming of the pairing of the political party representatives with the cardboard collectors while they go through the activities for a short documentary.

HPHP explained that the reason only those contesting the upcoming election can take part in the activity is to give them first-hand cardboard collecting exposure.

This is done in the hope they can “share their experiences in parliament and help solve the growing impoverished elderly problem among our senior citizens” if elected.

So far, the SDP is the only political party to have accepted HPHP’s invitation and the community organisation is eagerly awaiting the responses of the other parties. Watch this space for more updates.