$1.5m to help needy cope with inflation
Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 9:52 am | 1,186 views
The following is a media release by NTUC Fairprice which was received by The Online Citizen.
NTUC FairPrice Foundation Contributes S$1.5 million to Help Needy Cope with Rising Cost of Living
Contribution is part of the FairPrice Million Dollar Food Voucher Scheme
Today (20 July, 2008), NTUC FairPrice Foundation, a registered charity 100 percent funded by NTUC FairPrice, presented S$1.5 million worth of FairPrice vouchers, under the FairPrice Million Dollar Food Voucher Scheme, to help needy families all across Singapore cope with the impact of rising cost of living.
To mark the occasion, NTUC FairPrice Chairman Mr Ng Ser Miang, who is also Chairman of NTUC FairPrice Foundation, presented a cheque representing S$1.5 million worth of FairPrice vouchers to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Racial Harmony Fiesta@Jalan Kayu. Prime Minister Lee was present to grace the event as the Guest-of-Honour.
Mr Ng said, “The rising cost of living is a concern to many in the community. As a social enterprise, NTUC FairPrice has been moderating the cost of living by setting benchmark prices. To reach out to those who need a helping hand, NTUC FairPrice Foundation is contributing $1.5 million worth of FairPrice vouchers to help needy families cope with rising cost of living. These vouchers will be distributed to the community under the FairPrice Million Dollar Food Voucher Scheme.”
Over the years, the FairPrice Million Dollar Food Voucher Scheme has served as a helping hand to those in need. Last year, FairPrice contributed $1 million worth of FairPrice vouchers under this scheme to help needy families cope with the GST increase. This year, NTUC FairPrice Foundation is contributing half a million more with a total of $1.5 million vouchers, so that more families in the community can benefit.
The NTUC FairPrice vouchers will be distributed to the poor and needy mainly through the advisers of the grassroots organisations (GROs), with some vouchers being set aside for selected welfare organisations. Mr Wee Siew Kim, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, was the first to receive S$12,000 worth of NTUC FairPrice vouchers for distribution to the needy in the Jalan Kayu community.
Since its inauguration in March this year, NTUC FairPrice Foundation has helped various beneficiaries such as Community Chest and Food From The Heart. NTUC FairPrice has pledged to donate $50 million to NTUC FairPrice Foundation over the next 10 years as part of its longstanding commitment to corporate philanthropy.
Appendix: About the FairPrice Million Dollar Food Voucher Scheme
The Million Dollar Food Voucher Scheme was first launched in June 2002 to help needy families in Singapore. The food vouchers were distributed to the beneficiaries through the Community Development Councils and Citizens’ Consultative Committees in Singapore.
In 2003 in view of the lull economy which was further worsened by the SARS outbreak, FairPrice again gave $1 million vouchers via the CDCs and CCCs to help the poor and needy. In the same year, another S$1 million worth of FairPrice vouchers were given out to specifically help needy union members.
In conjunction with FairPrice’s pledge to absorb the 2% GST increase for more than 400 essential items for six months starting February 2007, the Million Dollar Food Voucher scheme was once again implemented on 22 July 2007. Vouchers were distributed to the needy families through grassroots organisations (GROs) and selected welfare organisations.
This year, in light of rising food costs, NTUC FairPrice Foundation will be contributing $1.5 million in vouchers towards the NTUC FairPrice Million Dollar Scheme, in aid of the poor and needy. With this contribution, the NTUC FairPrice Million Dollar Voucher Scheme has given $5.5 million vouchers in total to the community.
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I have the impression the last time, the poor were require to spend a certain amount before those coupons become valid. Was I mistaken, and if not, if it is still the case with these new coupons?
hahaahahah right hand pass to left hand ,agree ?
Hi Lobo76
The vouchers are given, without any purchsae requirements, to the MPs who distribute to their needy residents. Give a big CONGRATS to Fairprice for their generosity.
SO IF YOU NEED THESE VOUCHERS, YOU MUST GO THROUGH THE PAP MPS, RIGHT ?
HOW NICE, HOW CONVENIENT. THE PAP CARES. EVERYBODY, COME ,COME.THE PAP CARES ABOUT US. SEE, THOSE OPPOSITION FOOLS ARE ALL WRONG. LET US ALL CHEER! COME TOGETHER!
PAP! MR.LEE ! NTUC MR.LEE!
WE ARE ALL ONE BIG FAMILY!
MP’s to distribute to their needy residents?
Questions:
1. Are vouchers given to all MP’s or only PAP MP’s?
2. Who in each constituency decides who’s needy?
Pardon my cynicism but with the “check and balances” that’s been going on and the excuse that “cure musn’t be worse than the disease”, my other question is why was the disease there in the first place?
I do not know about other Singaporeans but I have been feeling most dis-eased since the GST, raised to help the poor, ended up in the million-dollar-pockets of ministers!
feedmetothefish
This is call wayang, wayang! I thought the increase of GST suppose to help the needy. NTUC to donate $1.5M (too small the amount, compare to the losses - do some guessing). Also, you can imagine how much NTUC making millions over the years investing with the members’ union funds in businesses e.g. supermarkets. 1st world country and one of the riches nations in Asia, the govt don’t need this kind of donation to help the citizens! Look at Hong Kong? Shame on you!
if indeed the vouchers are going to be given out free without any string attached. Then I would say that at least it is a show of good gesture (thot small).
Is a small little step ahead, hope that they will continue to walk the ground & do wht is necessary to help
john,should thank to toc,they re the one who push and stalk them(gov.) ..
TOC. ONE BIG CHEERS.. KEEP IT UP..
I angkat you, you angkat me lor…
Yah la. Any difference from the other side. At least this angkat here and there gets circulated and not fixed for the benefit of a few leh. Performance by only one actor sometimes gets to boring lah. What say you.
any effort from a social organization to help the poor or needy only shows that our government is not doing enough to help the poor or needy.
the more charity we have in Singapore, the more it shows the government is incompetent and/or reluctant to help the poor and needy.
Peanuts again
1.5 million… oh shit . remember their style . their coming up ways to take back . maybe take back 5 millions. our generation wont belive in your anymore ., old school
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