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Charity begins at home and in your workplace

Government subsidised rental homes in Singapore.

Photos: Government subsidised rental homes in Singapore.

Mr M, 47, is a former senior sales and marketing manager at an electronics MNC for nine years before he was retrenched in 2009. Married with a wife and twin teenage sons, he tried his hand at being a financial advisor for a year before deciding to become a taxi driver. He has been running his taxi service since 2011. He survived a heart-attack in late 2012 and now has four stents in his heart. His philosophy on life is now to live well, stay healthy and to share his real-life experiences. In his latest post on Taxi Talk, he reflects on his recent foray into volunteer work.

I remember when I was young, my late mother used to tell me that you could help people if you have the ability, means and resources. These keywords are embedded in my mind and have become my life’s philosophy since then.

She believed that “what goes round, comes round”. In addition, she also believed that kindness begets kindness.

Back then, I had a big family of eight. We all squeezed into a 3-room HDB flat in MacPherson. Besides looking after the family, my mum had to wash clothes for many neighbours in our estate to supplement my dad’s meager income. In addition, she had to man the nyonya kuih stall owned by my uncle. Life was very simple. We were contented. But our everyday life was also challenging. Our family managed to pull through as we were united as one.

As we progressed over the years, our lives got better financially.

Despite the financial burden of a big family, dad and mum were thrifty and generous to our neighbours and friends. Whenever someone’s family experienced a crisis, they did not hesitate to help. They would help in various ways – some money to help them tide over the rough patch, or food and clothing, and even items that could be reused. Their philanthropy and kindness were commendable.

So, recently, when I had the opportunity to assist in a volunteer activity, it was a walk down memory lane.

Last Friday morning, I received a telephone booking from someone in Yahoo! Singapore. They wanted book my taxi for two hours. My task was to drive to a few places. I initially thought it was a corporate event that they might have organised so I agreed to take up the job. Never did it cross my mind that what I was about to do was so different, so unique and so noble.

It started at 5pm and I had Eric and Jovary (a muscle man due to his heavy built and gym-toned muscles) board my taxi. I was told to drive to Smith Street in Chinatown to collect some items.

Upon reaching Smith Street, I was asked to go up to the 3rd level of a carpark. Soon, we reached there and parked at a lot beside the lift. I was told to wait there for five minutes. Due to my curious nature, I came out for a quick look. I saw a signboard which read “Yong-En Care Centre” – it’s a voluntary welfare organisation (VWO) that helps the less fortunate.

They started a project over two years ago, where, at a pre-arranged day of every month, at about 5pm, the team (groups of 2-8 people) would set off from Yong-En Care Centre to deliver items to the less fortunate, who live in various parts of Singapore. Their homes are usually government-subsidised rental flats.

At Yahoo!, employees are encouraged to volunteer their time, or even start their own initiatives to give back to society. encouraging its staff regardless of position or title to start their own initiatives, on volunteerism.

Eric, a project manager who recently became a Singapore citizen after being here for 15 years, sees it as a great way to give back to the country. He shared that he has seen many of such unfortunate, under-privileged people in Singapore that deserve our care, love and concern. Likewise, Jovary, the business development manager, who is a foreigner, felt the same way too.

Yong-En Care Centre supports about 85 to 100 households in their grocery distribution programme. Each under-privileged beneficiary will receive a relief pack of $550. The organisation is staffed by 22 people from diverse backgrounds.

Many corporations, and various religious and business groups, have come forward as regular donors by donating money or products.

Photo: Typical grocery items: rice, bee hoon, noodle, canned food, sauces, crackers, oatmeal

So, in moments, my taxi loaded was with five sets of grocery packs for five households. Each bag comprised 5kg of rice, bee hoon, noodles, canned food, sauces, crackers, oatmeal and various types of canned food. We started our deliveries from Bukit Ho Swee road and ended at Commonwealth Drive.

Along the way, Eric and Jovary shared with me a little about the residents they would meet. (I stayed in the taxi as we could not get parking at every stop.)

NB: The names below have been changed to protect the privacy and identity of each family.

1: Mr Guru and his family

Aged 50+ years old, Mr Guru had been unable to work due to an amputated foot and other physical complications. He has two teenage boys and is currently on a social welfare scheme. Life has been tough and challenging for him as the handouts provided by the charity organisation run out fast and food given would usually be finished before the month ends.

Due to his disability, his sons take turns to look after him by bathing, cleaning, feeding and changing his clothes regularly. His wish for his sons is for them to be able to continue their higher education and to get out of the poverty cycle as soon as they possibly can.

He thanked the two volunteers for the food packets delivered to his home as they left.

2: Madam Leong

Aged 70+, Madam Leong lives alone.

As the volunteers entered her home, they sensed a strong stench in the air because there was poor ventilation – the windows were closed. Her home was dimly lit. Many small red and blue bags filled with old clothes and newspapers scattered around.

Although she was healthy, she spoke in a soft tone. The two men could sense the loneliness in her.

She did not share much of her family or siblings. She did not have any relatives who could check on her, so the social service organisation have stepped up to make a home visit at least once every week.

3: Mr Gan

Mr Gan lost his wife recently after she suffered from a chronic debilitating disease for some years. Similarly, he suffered a stroke recently and has stopped working due to his disability.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he expressed he that he missed his late wife and found life meaningless without her at his side. Eric and Jovary consoled him and asked him to be strong, and to find strength and courage.

Before they left, he thanked them profusely for the food packets delivered.

4: Madam Heng and her family

Madam Heng works as a cleaner and earns $800 per month at a nearby food court. She revealed that her husband was admitted to hospital due to cancer. Tears trickled down from her eyes as she spoke, as she was worried about her husband’s hospital bills. The volunteers assured her that the social service would assist her financially and told her not to worry too much as the doctors and nurses in the hospital would take good care of him and provide him with excellent healthcare.

Currently, she is raising their Primary 3 son. She is worried about his studies as she spends most of her time working and looking after her husband after work. Because of these commitments, she has little time with her son. Luckily, she has a caring neighbour who helps her to look after him when she is at work.

When the rounds were completed, I drove the volunteers back to the office to complete their work before heading home.

I felt it was indeed a fulfilling day, as they embarked on their volunteerism and shared their social responsibilities for the greater community at large.

Indeed, there are many other organisations worthy of our kind assistance and support, such as Meals on Wheels and Willing Hearts.

I hope that more corporations and individuals – young and old, rich and middle class – will come forward to help the VWOs to support the needy through donations and time volunteered.

Similarly, I would like to call on fellow cabbies to volunteer their time for a worthy cause – it can be as little as once a month, but you can be sure it will go a long way to make our society a better place for all.

Last but not least, I’ve agreed to volunteer two hours of my time (free of charge) once every month to drive the Yahoo! Singapore group of volunteers for their food packet delivery. I hope this small step will lead to an increasing number of volunteers, donors and organisations to come forward to make Singapore a livable, caring and loving nation for the benefit of all.