FairPrice Group donates $40,000 to MENDAKI to support underprivileged individuals

FairPrice Group has announced a $40,000 donation to Yayasan MENDAKI through its philanthropic arm, FairPrice Foundation.

The donation will support the education and lifelong learning goals of underprivileged individuals in the Malay community.

Some 200 beneficiaries are set to benefit from the donation.

FairPrice Group announced the donation at a fast-breaking event on 2 April 2024. The event was organised in collaboration with NTUC and Focus Area 4 (FA4) for beneficiaries from the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union, M³ and M³ FA4 Taskforce.

M³ is a collaborative effort between the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), MENDAKI and the People’s Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (MESRA).

Supporting the vulnerable

At the event, FairPrice Group CEO Vipul Chawla and FairPrice Foundation General Manager Jean Khong presented a cheque to MENDAKI CEO Zuraidah Abdullah.

NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng and M³ FA4 Taskforce Chairman Fahmi Aliman witnessed the presentation.

Mr Ng said: “NTUC and FairPrice Group are happy to leverage our collective strength to support initiatives that directly impact our workers, community and Singaporeans. By joining forces, we aim to alleviate their cost of living concerns and ensure a more inclusive society for all.”

Mr Chawla said he understood the importance of Ramadan to the Muslim community and is grateful for the opportunity to support those in need during this period of reflection.

“Through initiatives like FairPrice Foundation’s donation to MENDAKI and our Buka Puasa [breaking fast] events, we hope to continue uplifting the vulnerable amongst us and give all in Singapore a reason to come together in the spirit of communal bonding,” he added.

Beneficiaries were also given community care packs containing daily essentials and $200 worth of FairPrice and Kopitiam vouchers.

Longstanding contributions

Over the past decade, FairPrice Foundation has contributed over $500,000 to MENDAKI in support of its beneficiaries.

Ms Zuraidah said that FPG is one of MENDAKI’s longstanding corporate partners that have contributed generously to the community and that the group has been contributing the annual donation since 2014.

“We are grateful that FairPrice shares MENDAKI’s mission in helping to uplift families through education and signalling that support through this meaningful donation,” she said.

FPG will host another fast-breaking event on 4 April 2024 at Selarang Halfway House in partnership with Singapore Prisons Service and Bapa Sepanjang Hayat.

The event will allow ex-offenders to reconnect with their family during Ramadan.

This year’s Ramadan also marks FPG’s 16^th consecutive year of distributing drinks and dates to customers to break their fast at 60 FairPrice stores islandwide.

FPG has other festive activities planned for the Hari Raya period, including two block parties at Bedok North and Bukit Batok on 20 April 2024.

Joint effort in helping workers

One of the key areas of FA4 is the employment and employability arm, which supports the community through close partnerships with NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and NTUC LearningHub.

One beneficiary of the FA4 initiative is Mohamed Naseer.

The 43-year-old quit his job in November last year after discovering that his former employer was flouting the law.

After reporting the matter to the police, he quit, choosing to listen to his conscience over his livelihood.

He was also the sole breadwinner of the family.

But what he did not anticipate was the difficulty in getting a new job.

The sudden unemployment hit Naseer and his family hard, especially when they were trying to move out of their rental flat.

When the Social Service Office (SSO) officers were doing house visits in the neighbourhood, they found out about Naseer’s situation and referred him to FA4.

FA4 managed to help him secure a few job interviews. At the same time, FA4 referred him to e2i’s career coaches to work on his resume and interview skills.

After five months of unemployment, Naseer finally landed a new job.

He said: “Today’s event is a good way to showcase the collective effort to help the vulnerable. Help is around when you’re in need. It’s just that people are not aware of it.”