- FPG collaborated with 100 community partners and schools to drive social impact and support the vulnerable in 2023
- FPG ushered in the new year festivities with community block parties in Punggol and Yishun
Singapore, 11 December 2023 – FairPrice Group (FPG) rang in the festive season with two Christmas block parties in Punggol and Yishun last weekend. The events brought together over 700 individuals and families from both neighbourhoods to celebrate the holiday, support the underprivileged, and strengthen community ties.
The Christmas block parties rounded off a year of meaningful community engagement initiatives for FPG. In 2023, FPG collaborated with 100 community partners and schools to drive social impact and serve the vulnerable in Singapore, through legacy programmes, engagements, and newly launched initiatives.
These community engagements have been a priority for the business in recent years, amid ongoing inflation, rising cost of living, and uncertainty. They have provided FPG, its partners, and individual volunteers with an avenue to help those in need.
Cherie Chong, Lead, Community Engagement and Sustainability, FairPrice Group, shared, “Even in our affluent society, there are some who still face challenges with providing for their families, whether this means putting food on the table or availing educational resources. At this critical time where cost of living challenges are top of mind for all in Singapore, coming together as a community has never been more important, and as a social enterprise, FPG is committed to doing our part.”
This year, despite rising business costs, FPG continued to run its legacy programmes and launched new community engagements to support those in need. These included food packing, meal delivery, and activities to engage and befriend the elderly, and larger flagship initiatives such as FPG’s 41st annual Share-A-Textbook drive, Singapore’s largest textbook donation drive, and its ninth annual charity car wash in partnership with ExxonMobil, which raised more than S$100,000 for the Children’s Aid Society.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary this year, FPG ramped up volunteering efforts within the organisation, reaffirming its commitment to its guiding social mission. Ms Chong added, “In July, we launched Day of Service, a programme to give more of us across the organisation the opportunity to engage and serve the vulnerable. Through Day of Service, we have tripled volunteering in FPG for community engagement initiatives. As we move into 2024, we will continue to work hard to leave a lasting, positive impact on our communities, by promoting a culture of volunteerism in Singapore.”
At the last FPG Block Parties of the year, FPG collaborated with charity Rainbow Centre to provide persons with disabilities (PWD) a platform to grow their businesses. First founded in 1987, Rainbow Centre’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for PWDs and their families through person-centric programmes and services, leading innovation, and community advocacy and engagement.
Rainbow Centre runs Micro Business Academy (MBA), a programme for families of PWDs to discover, trial, and sustain meaningful businesses that they can run independently. FPG provided three family businesses from the MBA programme with booths at both Block Party locations, to display and sell their products to attendees.
The Christmas Block Parties featured family-friendly games, booths, and activities, including a Christmas-themed lucky draw. The FairPrice on Wheels truck, originally launched during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to bring essential grocery items to the doorsteps of low-income seniors, was also on location. It featured over 200 best-value products for attendees to do their grocery shopping while enjoying the festivities.
Both locations also showcased an educational activation for FPG’s Neighbourhood Food Share Initiative, where participants learned about how to support FPG’s efforts to reduce food waste and nourish the underprivileged through an interactive game.
Find out more about the initiative here – https://www.fairpricegroup.com.sg/fairprice-foundation/neighbourhood-food-share/
From now till end-2024, FPG will be bringing its Block Parties to other neighbourhoods for upcoming annual celebrations, including Chinese New Year and Hari Raya[1]. More details on the Block Parties will be announced closer to the event dates.
[1] Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, May Day, National Day, Deepavali, Christmas