THE BOYS’ BRIGADE SHARE-A-GIFT PROJECT GEARS UP FOR 27TH RUN WITH A REVAMP OF SIGNATURE FOOD HAMPER

Singapore, 6 November 2014 – The Boys’ Brigade Share-a-Gift (BBSG) project announced today at a media conference that it will be returning this festive season with refreshed food hampers to better cater to the changing needs of its beneficiaries. BBSG, one of Singapore’s largest and most highly-profiled Christmas charity projects, will target to reach out to 35,845 less fortunate in Singapore, and encourages both individuals and corporations to come forward and make a difference in the lives of others. The much-anticipated project will be held from 20 November to 17 December this year.

The media conference saw some 15 beneficiaries from the Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA) basking in the festive cheer and having their Christmas wishes granted early. These beneficiaries had their wishes fulfilled in advance by BBSG and Prudential Singapore.

One of the beneficiaries is Muhammad Ridwan Mohd Asim, aged 11, who received a bicycle. Born prematurely, he faces delay in achieving his developmental milestones. His medical condition has also resulted in him having trouble keeping up in school. As his family is unable to afford luxurious gifts, Ridwan has requested for the useful and practical gift not only for himself, but to share with his sisters as well. Ridwan has been with AWWA TEACH ME Services for the past four and a half years.

Refreshed food hampers to better cater to the changing needs of beneficiaries

BBSG’s move to refresh its signature food hampers stemmed from the shifting demographics of the project’s beneficiaries. Recognising that the needs of beneficiaries may have changed over the years, BBSG conducted a review earlier this year with social workers who work directly with the beneficiaries to explore how the donations could better serve them. The feedback received indicated that many adult and elderly beneficiaries lack key nutrients in their food consumption and many preferred items like biscuits and cereals in between meals. The social workers also shared that more charities and non-profit organisations are providing free cooked meals for the less fortunate in Singapore. As such, beneficiaries require smaller quantities for items such as rice and cooking oil.

In light of the feedback and insights from the social workers, BBSG adjusted the quantities of some items in the food hamper such as providing more biscuits, and reducing the quantity of rice and cooking oil. From this year, BBSG will also be providing examples of food categories to better guide donors on the various food items preferred as shared by the social workers. For example, in the category of Beverages, it will be specified that items like MILO, 3 in 1 coffee, 3 in 1 cereal and adult milk powder are preferred. Adult milk powder was added into the mix by BBSG to provide important nutrients like calcium, potassium and vitamin D to adult and elderly beneficiaries.

                                                                                                                                                                         

PREVIOUSLY	2014 (NEW)
Item	Qty	Items	Qty
Rice   (5kg)	2	Rice (5kg)	1
Biscuits	2	Biscuits	3
Cooking   Oil	2	Cooking Oil (2 litres)	1
Instant   Noodles	4	Instant Noodles	4
Seasonings	2	Seasonings (Soy Sauce)	2
Milo	2	(NA)	(NA)
Beverages	2	Beverages    (MILO, 3 in 1 Coffee, 3 in 1 Cereal, Adult Milk   Powder)	4
Halal   Canned Food	10	Halal Canned Food (Sardines, Curry, Tuna)	10
	26		25

Mr Lui Chong Chee, Chairman of BBSG 2014 said, “At BBSG, we want to go beyond giving, to giving right. We want to ensure that the gifts our beneficiaries receive will be relevant and suited to their needs. As such, we have decided to revamp our food hampers to cater to the changing demographics of our beneficiaries. We have also specified the different items that donors can contribute for each food category, to better ensure that our beneficiaries will receive what they require for their day-to-day needs. We hope that Singaporeans will come forward generously with their contributions as they have over the years, with the genial flame of charity in their hearts. As we enter the Christmas season, let us all embrace the spirit of sharing and give a gift of hope to those who may be less blessed.”  BBSG 2014 aims to fulfil the wishes of a total of 35,845 beneficiaries

This year, BBSG aims to impact the lives of 35,845 beneficiaries, and is looking towards the generous support of the public to help achieve its goal.

Table 1: Breakdown of general and specific wishes for 2014

                                                                                             

GENERAL WISHES
Government-funded ComCare   programmes	6,038
Voluntary   Welfare Organisations (VWOs)	21,595
TOTAL GENERAL WISHES	27,633
SPECIFIC WISHES
Children	2,094
Elderly	4,638
Special Needs	790
Families	690
TOTAL SPECIFIC WISHES	8,212

Table 2: Breakdown of general wishes from 2010 to 2014

                                           

Year	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
General Wishes	20,006	20,613	22,086	32,556	27,633

Last year, BBSG reported a sharp spike in the number of general wishes (32,556 in 2013; 22,086 in 2012) due to increased communication efforts by BBSG which resulted in more voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) participating in the project. In addition, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) had raised the gross income criteria of the ComCare Short and Medium Term Assistance (SMTA), from $1,500 to $1,700, which saw an increase in the number of beneficiaries supported. Individuals of the SMTA scheme form part of the beneficiaries under the government-funded ComCare programmes.  This year, the total number of general wishes BBSG received dropped to 27,633 due to two factors. First, many VWOs shared that they require fewer food hampers as they are starting to receive more free cooked meals from other charities. Second, due to logistical and manpower constraints, it was decided to target SMTA beneficiaries 62 years old and above, as well as Public Assistance beneficiaries, to receive the food hampers from BBSG.

‘Many-helping-hands’ approach key to meeting project’s target

BBSG’s continual success over the years has been made possible by the generous contributions from both individuals and corporations. Their unwavering support and donations have supported the project in its endeavour to spread love and care to the less fortunate, and make a difference in their lives.

On the corporate front, BBSG is honoured to have Prudential Singapore returning as the Presenting Sponsor for the sixth year in a row. This year, it has pledged a noteworthy contribution of $120,000, which will go a long way in financing numerous operational, logistical and miscellaneous expenses needed to make BBSG a success.

On top of supporting the project financially, Prudential Singapore will continue to add a personal touch to the act of giving. Its management, staff and agency force will participate in the project by adopting wishes as well as volunteering their time to pack and deliver food hampers to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries.

“The Boys’ Brigade’s Share-a-Gift project is a heartwarming and well-meaning project that has touched the lives of thousands over the years. Prudential Singapore is happy to continue our support of it this year and we look forward to having our staff and agency force actively participate again by adopting wishes, packing hampers and delivering them to the beneficiaries,” said Mr David Ng, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Prudential Singapore.

BBSG is also very proud to have on board NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Limited, whose desire to spread festive cheer to the less privileged has remained strong all these years. This year, it returns again as BBSG’s official online and collection partner in 13 FairPrice outlets. Other cash donors and sponsors include Far East Organisation, Credit Suisse, Lee Foundation, and Tan Chin Tuan Foundation.

As for the public, support in the following ways is very much welcomed:

•   Adopting wishes and donating gifts to the beneficiaries; and
•   Delivering the gifts to the beneficiaries

Those who wish to fulfil general wishes can place the food items in any of the project’s 13 gift boxes island-wide. The boxes will commence operations from 20 November, from 11am to 9pm daily. They can also donate via NTUC FairPrice’s online portal. 

People who wish to fulfil specific wishes can adopt a specific wish from any of the six Boys’ Brigade Share-A-Gift Specific Wish Trees in Singapore. Wish contributions can also be made through any AXS station located island-wide.

                                                                                                                                                                 

No.	Name of   Location	Nature of   Collection
1	BBSG   Main Box (Braddell Heights Community Club)	Specific Wishes Tree
2	Ang Mo Kio   HUB (FairPriceXtra)	General   Wishes Collection and Specific Wishes Tree
3	Jurong   Point (FairPriceXtra)
4	nex Mall   (FairPriceXtra)
5	Singapore   Sports Hub (FairPriceXtra)
6	Jem Mall (FairPriceXtra)
7	Bukit   Timah Plaza (FairPrice Finest)	General   Wishes Collection – NTUC FairPrice Outlets
8	Junction 8   (FairPrice Finest)
9	Thomson   Plaza (FairPrice Finest)
10	Bedok Mall   (FairPrice Finest)
11	Bukit   Merah View
12	Eastpoint   Mall
13	Tampines   Mall
14	Toa Payoh   HDB Hub

Members of the public who wish to help deliver the donated items to the beneficiaries can take part in the public volunteer delivery days on 6 and 13 December 2014. Volunteers will be required to register with BBSG in advance via www.bbshare.sg.

For more information, the public can call the BBSG hotline at 1800-227-4273 (1800-BBSHARE) or visit its official website at www.bbshare.sg

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Asia PR Werkz is the Official PR Agency for the Boys' Brigade Share-a-Gift Project