Resorts World Sentosa distributes Christmas bread to beneficiaries
The stollen, measuring a record-breaking 93.1 m, was distributed among seniors at the Christmas marketplace in Sentosa
RESORTS World Sentosa (RWS) has partnered charity organisation Food from the Heart (FFTH) and the Chinatown Active Ageing Centre (CAAC) to prepare and distribute Dresden stollen – a popular Christmas bread filled with fruits, nuts and spices – to underprivileged communities for the festive season.
The stollen weighed 500 kg and measured 93.1 m, breaking the record for the longest stollen in Singapore, as recognised by the Singapore Book of Records. On Wednesday (Dec 18), about 50 seniors from CAAC were invited to the Christmas marketplace in Sentosa to see the display of the stollen, some of which was then cut up and distributed among them.
Faust Uwe, vice-president of food and beverage (F&B) general management at RWS, said: “The festive season is also a time of giving back, as we are reminded of the underprivileged in our community... This partnership with FFTH and CAAC enables us to share the festive joy with the community and offer them the opportunity to experience the Christmas marketplace festivities together.”
Chefs from various RWS F&B establishments prepared the set-up of the stollen on Wednesday from 3 am. Preparations for the initiative started around 10 months ago, and it took about 10 days to bake, using around 240 eggs.
Bread Run
The rest of the stollen will be distributed to beneficiaries from FFTH’s Bread Run programme – one of the charity’s core initiatives tackling sustainability, food waste and food insecurity.
Brenda Hobin, director of FFTH, said the programme started more than 20 years ago, when the charity’s founders realised that there was a lot of surplus bread in Singapore from bakeries, hotels and other F&B establishments.
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“We take what is available from (all the establishments) and redistribute them to our partners, who then redistribute them to their beneficiaries... FFTH is the bridge for them to deliver to vulnerable communities and people who need it more,” she added.
RWS’ Uwe added: “Through our partnership with FFTH and the Bread Run programme, we are able to actively support the underprivileged community and bridge the gap between food surplus from the retail sector and community needs...
“With food security being a pressing issue in Singapore, this partnership between RWS and FFTH offers the opportunity to feed the needy with safe-for-consumption bread and reduce the amount of food wastage.”
FFTH’s partners include welfare organisations such as Fei Yue Community Services and children’s homes, and it also works with government agencies to determine who are suitable to be beneficiaries.
Other than Bread Run, FFTH also has community food packs, school goodie bags and market place as its core programmes. They aim to alleviate hunger and provide food to communities in need.
An ongoing partnership
RWS has an ongoing partnership with FFTH to address food security issues.
Uwe said: “Partnering with community partners enables us to combine resources, expertise and networks to achieve more significant outcomes. The insights we receive through our community partners help us to understand the ongoing challenges and needs of the community, enabling us to support more effectively and foster stronger engagement with them.”
RWS continues to support FFTH through the Community Shop initiative. It donated S$300,000 to support the purchase of fresh local produce for four shop-for-free minimarts, where lower-income families can obtain food supplies.
Most recently, RWS partnered CAAC to clean homes for 60 seniors from the Jalan Kukoh area.
Besides food security, RWS – through its RWS Cares programme – also supports education, climate change and local businesses.
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