Despite Singapore being an economical food paradise, many Singaporeans are still going hungry. Almost 105,000 Singaporean households face food insecurity everyday, with $2 chicken rices’ being a luxury treat some cannot even afford. Thus, when coupled by vast unemployment and the exposure risks associated with COVID-19, several members of our society will still face consequences of the pandemic worsening their existing plight even when the easing of lockdown measures sounds like good news to us. 

Send Laska Love is a ground-up initiative to send lots-of (get it?) love to not just the vulnerable communities aforementioned, but also our beloved hawker aunties and uncles that have experienced less patronage during these trying times. With the help of our community (and you!), we have been able to pinpoint decade-old stalls struggling to stay alive after closures ensued. By purchasing from these stalls, we can help them gain some business, as well as feed mouths that need feeding most. Ranging from the elderly, the sick, families requiring financial and social assistance, as well as underprivileged kids, our weekly hawker lunch aims to alleviate some of their burdens, or even just to offer a delicious treat to brighten up their day!

Our Journey Thus Far 

To get our programme started, our team pledged $425 to provide 85 meals to our beneficiaries in our first week.

Through private fundraising among our family, friends and The YCM Grant, we have raised $5000 which will allow us to provide 1000 meals. However, to keep our programme running for 4 months, we need your help! The more donations, the more meals we can provide!

Starting July, we will also be extending our programme to 55 more beneficiaries. That would mean 140 sponsored meals on a weekly basis and a total of over 2000 meals provided from our programme!

How can you help? 

Though your primary method of help is from monetary donations, those who are not in the place to spend can also give by identifying struggling hawkers to our team, sharing this initiative with friends/family, as well as doing what you can to send laksa love in small ways in your own community. Though our initiative is focused on two target groups, our mission is to ultimately spread love to all sectors and crevices of Singapore when we can — and that starts with you!

If you would like to connect with us, feel free to email Carina at carina.gratia@gmail.com or message us directly on our Instagram page at @sendlaksalove.

Who are we?

Send Laksa Love was started by a group of university kids who felt inspired

to make a difference — whether small or large — in any way they can. Believing that hawker culture is at the heart of our food-loving generation, we knew there had to be a way to support their livelihood whilst also having that ~shiok food to add to another person’s life. When talking to both hawkers and the vulnerable groups we have encountered, we realised that it is important for us to share their stories as well. From multi-generational dedication to their hawker craft to anecdotes of generosity and survival experienced by the ‘underdogs’ in Singapore, their voices are powerful and (we hope) will continue to help spread awareness even as ‘normal’ life kicks in.

To learn more on food insecurity in Singapore, please read and share these following links:

SMU study on food insecurity in Singapore: https://bit.ly/30T8dgx

Channel News Asia article on families experiencing food insecurity: https://bit.ly/3hDtFvW 

FAQ

Where is my money going? 

As we are a non-profit initiative, 100% of your donations will go into sponsoring the weekly meals for our beneficiaries. All other administrative and transport expenses will be absorbed by our team. Each meal costs about $5, and our goal is to provide almost 3000 hot meals in total. Every week, our team goes down to the identified hawker stalls, purchases the food, and delivers them first-hand to our vulnerable communities.

Who are these beneficiaries? 

Our beneficiaries consist of mainly two groups. Our first 85 beneficiaries have been gathered and approved by the Bukit Timah Citizens Consultative Committee (CCC), of which consist of mainly elderly folk, those with special needs, and low-income families. Our second group consists of 55 beneficiaries residing at Melrose Home. Melrose Home is a home-away-from-home for vulnerable children and youth facing adverse family circumstances in Singapore. 

For more information on Melrose Home: https://childrensaidsociety.org.sg/cas/melrose-home/

Where can we see your progress and keep you accountable?

Follow us on our Instagram page, @sendlaksalove, where we regularly share updates of our distribution and the hawkers we purchase from.

About Ray of Hope

100% of your donations through Ray of Hope goes to people in need. We do not take a cut from the funds. We even cover the 3rd party credit card charges, if you choose not to, that other crowdfunding platforms deduct from your donation for campaigns.

100% of all campaigns are also fully verified, so you know your funds goes to real people with real needs.

We take donor accountability very seriously – with yearly audited accounts and strong governance in place to ensure that your donations is properly channeled to the beneficiaries.

Ray of Hope is a registered charity and a member of the National Council of Social Services.