SINGAPORE: Charities are appealing to donors to spread the year-end festive cheer as they face dwindling donations.
The Boys’ Brigade is hoping to bring cheer to 45,000 beneficiaries, the highest number so far.
However, the brigade has collected only about half of the items needed for its hampers, said its executive director Desmond Koh.
“Last year around this time, we had already reached about 55 per cent of the collection. So I would say collection is still a little bit slow, and we continue to appeal to the public to continue donating,” he said.
Each hamper contains more than 20 items including canned food, Milo and biscuits, he said.
Efforts are also underway to fulfil wishlists from lower-income families that include items like stand fans, shoes, milk powder and hearing aids. One even asked for a wushu sword for a co-curricular activity in school.
Mr Koh said he is holding out hope that Singaporeans will come through.
“They’ve been very generous, and we have faith that they will continue to (be). I think for us, the trick is to really put out the call and to let people know what we’re short of and how much more we need,” he said.
DONATION DOLLARS SPREAD THIN
Other non-profit are also experiencing a sluggish mood for giving this season.
The Food Bank Singapore has seen the amount of help needed rise about 20 per cent since 2020. Yet donations have halved over this year.
“There are many volunteers who want to come in but there’s not enough food to work on. So we’re hoping to get more donations towards the end of the year,” said Mr Jameson Chow, manager of engagements and fundraising at the organisation.
To do more with less, the charity is requesting people donate funds instead of food.
“When we have monetary donations, actually the impact is sometimes double or triple, because we’re able to purchase directly from our donors at charity rates,” said Mr Chow. He noted that the price might be even lower than cost price with suppliers also trying to do their part.
He added that being able to buy exactly what beneficiaries need also reduces waste by a lot.