Who says there's no free lunch in Singapore?

Where to find free meals in Singapore

The storm of recession is blowing all over the world. As the stock markets continue to go south and companies are tumbling the storm is blowing many employees out of their jobs. Although Singapore is one the richest countries in Asia, there are many poor people in its midst who cannot afford the soaring food price and the high cost of living. 

Many of the needy are the silent workforce - foreign workers. Their salary are so low that Singaporeans would not take these jobs. Most of their salaries are sent home to their families or pay off up to a year's worth of debts

Help is available for the needy. Yes, there is such a thing as free lunch in Singapore. Some religious associations and welfare groups provide free meals. The bills are sponsored by members of these groups and business people. 

Here are some of the places that provide free meals:

Singapore Buddhist Lodge. The Kim Yan Road temple serves free vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7am to 7pm. All are welcome regardless of their race or religion. In the queue one can find all sorts of people, from the homeless, unemployed, foreign students, foreign construction workers and of course some freeloaders who work nearby. 

The Central Sikh Temple. The temple in Jalan Bukit Merah provides free vegetarian Indian lunches every day.

Nativity Church. This Catholic church at the end of Upper Serangoon Road provides free breakfast and lunch every day. 

The Lutheran King of Glory Church in Norris Road, serves free meals every Sunday to ndian workers dring its Taml service.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. This Buddhist temple at South Bridge Road provides free meal from 12.30pm to 6.30pm every day.

Tian Tao Temple at Sengkang invites foreign workes to its Sunday breakfast buffet. 

Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society. They have meal centres in Toa Payoh (Blk 31 #01-663 Lor 5), Telok Blangah (Blk 3, #01-504, Telok Blangah Crescent) and MacPherson (Blk 90, #01-103, Pipit Road). 

Sri Krisna Mandir. The Hindu religious group at No 9, Lor 29, Geylang. serves free vegetarian food from 11am to 10 pm daily. All are welcome. 

Care Corner Seniors Activities Centre. The Centre at Toa Payoh, Lor 7 Blk 5 #01-131 serves free breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea for senior citizens. (http://www.carecorner.org.sg)

Free Hawker Meal Program. If you are a needy resident living in Tanglin-Cairnhill area, you can apply for help at the Tanjong Pagar GRC. The GRC, under the free Hawker meal Program provides $36 worth of meal vouchers every month to needy recipients for a year. You can exchange the $3 voucher for a free meal at selected food staff at some of the coffee shops in Bukit Merah View and Henderson Road. 

Sutha Restaurant. This restaurant at Cuff Road provides free breakfast (from 7am to 9am) and dinner on weekdays only and lunch on Sundays. This is for stranded Indian workers in Singapore whose beds are the concrete walkways along Cuff Road. These distressed migrants are abandoned by their employees after their work injury or they are duped by the agents. To qualify for the free food, participants are asked to show a Special Pass (a govt-issued document, which means they do not have a work permit) or evidence that they are injured / have a case pending (a letter from a doctor/lawyer plus a work permit). It is funded by the Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) together with One Singapore. 

Lamea Restaurant. The TWC2 provides free dinner for Bangladeshi at Lamea restaurant at Desker Road. (http://www.twc2.org.sg)

ACMI. A Catholic humanitarian group called the Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People or ACMI, feeds migrant workers three times a week at its premise in No 2, Highland Road. The site is beside the Church of the Immaculate heart of Mary (http://www.catholic.org.sg/acmi/soupkitchen.htm).

The Migrant Workers Centre in Rangoon road provides free lunches once a month in parntership wth neigbouring restaurants. The center is a joint effort betweeen the NUTC and the Singapore national Employers Federation. 

YWCA. Their meals-on-wheels for Elderly distributes free lunches to needy, frail and homebound senior citizens in Banda Street, Bukit Merah View, Cantonment Road, Holland Road, Lengkok Bahru, and Mei Ling Street.

Their Meals-on-wheels for Children program provides free dinner for children from Low-income families who are schooling in Zhangde Primary School, New Town Primary School, Queenstown Primary School, Gan Eng Seng Primary School and Beyong Social Services. For more information on the meals-on-wheels program, please contact Ms Celest Ling at 6223 1227.

The Willing Hearts, a secular group, distributes free food in 10 areas, among them Ang o Kio, Bukit merah and Hougang. Call 9690-2086 for more information. 

In these times of needs, there is no shortage of compassion from the people of Singapore. Nobody in Singapore needs to go to bed hungry. Thankfully, nobody starves to death in Singapore. 

Sam Choo is a freelance writer at www.articles-writer.com

(Source: http://samchoo.hubpages.com/hub/Who-says-theres-no-free-lunch-in-Singapore)

Christmas Party 2012

This is a late posting.  But here goes.....

The Conference organized a Christmas party for our Friends-In-Need (FINs) on 15th Dec 2012.  This year, we did it slightly different.  Instead of the usual buffet, a bazaar style party was organized.

Vincentians and benefactors from the RCIA ministry became stall holders for one afternoon serving out local delights like longtong, meesiam, satay, chicken wings, ice cream, ham, cookies, drinks, otah otah.  All these delights were "on the house" for the FINs.

The FINs packed the hall and mingled around with each other.

At the background, live entertainment was provided by Vincentian and a helper from the Jesuits.

During the party, the Conference gave out education awards to FINs who has improved in their studies.

The Conference would like to thank the brothers from the Jesuits order, RCIA ministry, helpers and all Vincentians for contributing to the event.

SSVP Retreat

Attended the annual SSVP retreat today where the theme is "Love God, Love Your Neighbour".  During the retreat, we were given time to reflect, discuss and share on "Who do you say I am?", "Do you love me?" and “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”.

Vincentians were also encouraged to embark on the following projects to make the Vincentian spirituality real:-

- Read the Bible daily (to know God)
- Visit the Blessed Sacrament daily (to visit the one we love)
- To "adopt" a neighbour

I also shared that perhaps Jesus asked Peter "Who do you say I am?" is to ask him to reflect deeply so that he can change his paradigm about looking for God in the "who".  Answering the question in any way would be correct and also wrong.  My reason is that God is not only "who".  Perhaps God is also "what", "when", "where", "why" and "how".

For example, if we eat "mee pok da" (dried noodle) gratefully, with an attitude of thanksgiving and with God at our side, would not God now be present in the eating?

If we give in the right spirit in God's presence, wouldn't God be the giving?

If we see God in the person we are encountering, God now becomes the person.

So.... "Who do you say I am?"

St. Vincent De Paul Feast Day Celebration

This evening, as part of our Feast Day celebration, we threw a party for the FINs. Many of them were is the church by 7pm and the dinner started at 7.30pm. Members helped to serve food and drinks to the FINs.

Music entertainment for the dinner was songs with guitar by Bro. Mark Tan and Bro. Mark Leong. Some FINs were being invited up to the stage to sing their favourite songs. Bro. Vincent also took pictures for the FINs and gave them some memories to keep.

 Overall, the FINs and their family had an enjoyable time.

Visit to St. Theresa's Home

 Fourteen members visited the St. Theresa Home’s for the Aged on Sun 19Aug.  The Home has about 200 residents, cared for by a dedicated team of 50 staff, overseen by the Brothers of Mercy.  We attended Mass in the chapel together with the Catholic residents and nursing aids.  In the midst of human frailty, we were reminded of our own dependence on God’s benevolence and continued blessings.  The Second Reading from Eph 5:15-20 was a call from St. Paul to “Watch carefully then how you live...” and to make good use of the opportunity offered by the present time to live out the will of God in our lives. 

After Mass, we served the residents food catered from the SCORE Food Services.  We joined the residents for a sumptuous lunch of sweet and sour chicken, lemon sliced fish, braised bean curd with mixed seafood, Loh Han Chye, Yong Chow fried rice, prawn and chives omelette, and desert of almond long an jelly.  The residents and staff were appreciative of our gesture of love; and we, thankful to the Lord for the many opportunities to live out our vocations as Vincentians to share in his works of feeding His lambs.

New Prayer for the Canonisation of Blessed Frederic Ozanam

PRAYER FOR THE CANONISATION OF BLESSED FREDERIC OZANAM

In the hope of obtaining a miracle through his intercession

Lord,  

You made Blessed Frédéric Ozanam a witness of the Gospel, full of wonder at the mystery of the Church.

You inspired him to alleviate poverty and injustice and endowed him with untiring generosity in the service of all who were suffering.

In family life, he revealed a most genuine love as a son, brother, husband and father.

In secular life, his ardent passion for the truth enlightened his thought, writing and teaching.

His vision for our society was a network of charity encircling the world and he instilled St Vincent de Paul’s spirit of love, boldness and humility.

His prophetic social vision appears in every aspect of his short life, together with the radiance of his virtues.

We thank you Lord, for those many gifts and we ask, if it is your will, the grace of a miracle through the intercession of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam. 

May the Church proclaim his holiness, as a saint, a providential light for today’s world!

We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

(Source: International General Council of SSVP)

 

Cruise Onboard Cheng Ho

Today, we brought the FINs on a 3 hour cruise on board the Cheng Ho Cruise. Registration started at 12.30pm at the Church of Risen Christ Charity Corner. Over a hundred FINs turned out for the event. They were split into three groups, and they boarded the bus around 1.30pm, heading for Marina South Pier.

Members had ordered fruits and snacks for this cruise. When we reached Marina South Pier at 1.50pm, some FINs helped to carry the bags of food and fruits onto the boat. This junk boat is named after Admiral Zheng He, also popularly known as Cheng Ho. Under Emperor Zhu Di,  Zheng He rose in power to become the principal envoy and commander of the great treasure fleet. In July 1405, Zheng He left Liujia Harbour with a vast fleet of more than 300 ships manned by more than 27,000 men and began on the first of his seven voyages . Marina South Pier replaces the old Clifford Pier as the pier for domestic ferry and motor launch vessels. The Imperial Cheng Ho consist of three air-conditioned levels and outdoor areas. It can take up to 190 passengers, and is well decorated with Chinese engravings and pictures. The trip usually involves a half hour stopover at Kusu Island (Source: www.watertours.com.sg).

Members and FINs board the cruise ship at 2.00pm. As the boat headed for Kusu Island, FINs were treated to a Kuehs and a variety of fruits - Durians, Longans, Mangosteens - and coffee and tea. FINs roamed around the boat and enjoyed the sites of the open sea, the Marina Bay area and Sentosa. It was a relaxing time for many of the FINs as they chatted with friends and took pictures. We brought an instant printer, so that pictures taken could be given to FINs immediately.

 The boat reached Kusu Island at 3pm. Kusu Island is one of the Southern Islands in Singapore. The name means "Tortoise Island".On the Island, there is a Da Bo Gong Temple, built in 1923 by a wealthy businessman. the temple houses two main deities - the Da Bo Gong and Guan Yin (Source: Wikipedia). FINs also visited a Malay Shrine on a hill rock, wishing well and tortoise sanctuary.

 After spending about 45 min on the island, the boat headed back for mainland. Many FINs felt that this was a refreshing experience from the usual outings on the main island. As we reached the shore, we boarded the bus for dinner.

We reached Jin Long Restaurant in Bedok at about 6.30pm. FINs had a hearty meal of seafood, duck, vegetables and variety of dishes. We paid special arrangements for Muslim food for the Muslims, and that their fasting periods were accorded. Dinner ended at around 7pm, and the buses brought us back to the church, where we dispersed thereafter.

Written by: Vincent

Training Fair for Class 3 License by e2i

The NTUC is helping the poor to obtain Class 3 and Class 4 driving licenses at 10% of the normal costs.  (The Straits Times dated Thu 5 July).

 

The Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) is organizing the next upcoming Training Fair for Class 3 License on:

 

21 August 2012

17 September 2012

5 October 2012

5 November 2012

 

Please visit this link for more information 

 

Do keep a look-out on the website as the event will be open for registration nearer to event date.

 

(Source: http://www.e2i.com.sg)

Quarterly Mass

Today, we celebrate the quarterly mass with Father Loiseau. We do invite our friends to attend the mass. Everyone brings along a food item as we normally have pot luck party after.

This was a particularly special day as it was a celebration of Father Loiseau's 86th Birthday. We streamed into St. Micheal's room around 8pm. The mass lasted for about half an hour.

After the mass, we spread the table with different kinds of delicious food - Bee Hoon, Durian, Fried Rice, Ngoh Hiang, Pandan Cake and drinks. Many dishes were home-made and were especially tasty. Everyone used this opportunity to give Father Loiseau well wishes as well as chat and catch up. Everyone was pretty full at the end, and we look forward to the next one!

the man who went to heaven

A man died and because he had been a good person, he went to Heaven, where Saint Peter greeted him at the door.
Welcome! he said. You can enter Heaven right away, but, because you lived such a good life, you can also go and check out Hell first, if you like.
The man was rather curious and said - well, why not - and he went down all the stairs to reach the door of Hell, which opened before him.
Behind the door, he saw many people sitting around tables with delicious food! But they were all very sad, and suffering, because instead of hands they had long knives and forks as arm extensions and they did not manage to put any of this great food in their mouths.
The man went back up to Heaven and said to Saint Peter: Wow, am I glad that I can go to Heaven. That is really some punishment.
Welcome to Heaven, Saint Peter said, as he let the man in.
What did he see there? He saw many people sitting around tables with delicious food, just like in Hell!
And just like in Hell, they also had these long fork and knive extensions on their arms!
But in Heaven, the people weren't crying or cursing, because they were sticking the food in each other's mouths! "Try this", they laughed. "And this!", and they had lots of fun in the process.

Lesson: Happiness comes from making other people happy. Don't be selfish but care for other people, and you will be taken care of as well.

Mass for the Sick

Today, we celebrated the Mass for the Sick at the Church of St. Ignatius. At 2pm, we left Church of Risen Christ on a bus with our unwell FINs. The Mass was being celeberated by our Archbishop Nicholas Chia. He urged us the need to take care of our sick brothers and sisters in Christ, and friends. Members of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul play an important role in looking after the sick as we do our visitations and provide care for FINs.

After the Mass, there was a short reception in the canteen. We then brought our FINs for a dinner at the coffeeshop opposite the church at Toa Payoh.

Serving the Poor

On 17th Mar 2012, the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Conference of the Risen Christ organized a talk on serving the poor. Conducted by Mr. Brian Shen, the talk was also attended by Vincentians from other conferences.

Mr. Shen started with a simple of outline of social psychology. He also emphasized that help should be provided to a level where the poor is motivated to act on their own to achieve their own subsistence; rather than be provided with everything.

With examples, Mr. Shen also highlighted that we should identify with the poor and not be seen as "one up"; for example eating the same food in a feast.

Mr. Shen also quoted from the Bible to show how Jesus identified with the poor and that there are lessons to be learned from them.

IT in the Conference

Using spreadsheet, the Conference has maintained a database of its Friends-In-Need (FINs). This has enabled Vincentians to retrieve essential data of FINs during meeting and keep them updated (monthly) on the FINs under their care.

The accounts is computerised through a spreadsheet which makes the Treasurer's job a breeze.

The Conference has also an active blog - you are looking at it. Thanks to some very young and IT savvy Vincentians.

And the Conference has just acquired a photo printer which enables photographs to be printed at the site of the event. This has really enhanced the experience of those participating in the event as they get to keep the wonderful memories instantly - especially the young ones.

All these to help us serve our FINs better, happier and faster.

Visit to Villa Francis Home

On 11th Febraury 2012, the SSVP and Youths of Risen Christ went on a combine visit to Villa Francis Home for the Aged.

Villa Francis Home for the Aged was built to house old folks, destitute and sick, who were kept in ad-hoc shelters not much better than chicken coops in the 60s & 70s. In July 2006, the Canossian Sisters were appointed by the Archbishop to manage and operate the Home. Villa Francis Home strives to provide a positive and cheerful living environment for its residents, a community where residents have a sense of belonging and are happy to call it "our home". (Source: Catholic Welfare Services)

At around 2pm, the residents were wheeled and ushered into the dining hall. This is where they have their meals and see performances. They have periodic visits from various organizations and volunteers. We set up the stage and started our performance with a few hymns by Mark Leong and Lew May May.

Next, the youth group picked up their guitars and stood together to present a few modern songs. It is reassuring to see young people show care for the poor and aged with so much energy. We waved and clapped our hands to the rhythm, and encouraged the residents to participate as well. After the performance by the youths, it was the residents' turn to sing. The mike was passed around and many had a go at exercising their vocals.

The next item was a game of Bingo. Small cards were given out and the numbers were written on a board as they were being called out. This is a simple game that many residents were familiar with, and helped them to coordinate their thoughts. Members scattered around the tables to assist the residents with crossing the numbers. Snacks were distributed as prizes, and everyone was a winner in this game.

The SSVP band continued next with some Mandarin and Dialect songs, in an effort to rekindle some old memories. Dinner was promptly served at 4.30pm. They enjoyed catered food today, instead of the regular meals, and members help to feed some of the residents.

After dinner, we helped to wheel the residents back to their quarters and clean up the dining hall. The sister-in-charge notified us that the home would be shifting to Yishun next year. Many people living in estates in that area of Yishun were against the move and have a flawed perception of the 'Bad Luck' that follow when an aged home is situated in their estates. On the contrary,  it is important for us to empathize with the predicaments of the aged and homeless, and that our children understand this value through our actions. 

After a short debrief, we dismissed to a Tze Char in Toa Payoh for our own dinner.



                                                                                                                             Written by: Vincent

Chinese New Year Outing 2012

At 11am, there were members who already came down to help with the packing of rations, money, oranges, and snacks. Today is going to be an exciting day as we are bringing the FINs for an outing in Chinatown followed by a feast to celebrate Chinese New Year 2012!

The FINs streamed in at about 1pm. We started distributing the rations, snacks and oranges to the FINs and those who were following us on the trip stayed back.

For many of the FINs, outings like these are an opportunity for them to buy something that they like for the New Year. Chinatown has a long historical significance in Singapore, and till today, many people go to Chinatown to buy affordable clothes and food stuff.

 We reached Chinatown at about 3.30 pm. Members were armed with fluorescent flags to guide the FINs, in this crowded shopping area. The streets were super-packed as residents were looking to get something before the Chinese New Year that was only two weeks away. The crowded atmosphere brought an experience of sweat, loud touting and nostalgia.

Some FINs were buying goodies, while others just wanted to sit back and enjoy a drink.

 At about 5pm, we made our way to Kian Seng Food centre for dinner. We started off with Grace, and a traditional Lo Hei. We enjoyed the multi-course meal, and there was even time for a lucky draw.

 The FINs got back to church at about 8.30pm. They collected their monthly rations before retiring from a long day. I am happy to have shared my first Lo Hei with FINs, it was indeed meaningful.

Written by: Vincent