OCBC empowers women to feed other families in need

Singapore

WHEN Tuty dons her apron twice a week, it is to help feed her neighbours in need.

The initiative is part of Beyond Social Services' Project Masak-Lah! initiative - supported by the #OCBCCares programme.

And on the 7th day of the Chinese New Year (also known as ren ri, or "everyone's birthday"), which fell on Feb 7 this year, Tuty and 2 other "chefs" cooked up a storm for 250 individuals from 65 families.

Three OCBC staff volunteers then helped to distribute the meals to families living in rental blocks across Lavender, North Bridge, and Bukit Ho Swee.

Each family also received red packets containing S$100 worth of supermarket vouchers.

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Tuty said: "I'm happy to be able to help other mothers in the community, by freeing up time for them to attend to other urgent chores or spend more quality time with their families."

According to Beyond Social Services, many of the low-income families that they support, including Tuty's, struggle with financial stability, making it difficult for families to have regular nutritious meals.

A study in 2020 by the Singapore Management University's Lien Centre for Social Innovation also found that 10 per cent of Singaporeans struggled to get sufficient, safe and nutritious food at least once a year. Among the 10 per cent, two out of five households found it challenging to get food at least once month.

For OCBC staff volunteer Jerrica Lee, Project Masak-Lah! is more than just feeding families in need - it is especially meaningful to her as a woman.

She said: "Some of us may not always have a proper meal on the table. I'm encouraged by how OCBC is supporting this programme to empower more women to give back - this helps them to gain confidence, and even eases the burden for other women in the community."

Since August last year, OCBC Bank has been supporting Beyond Social Services' Project Masak-Lah! programme to empower these women from low-income households - in putting their culinary skills to good use and to fulfil the food needs of other families in the community.

To date, 8 women under this programme have prepared over 7,000 meals for more than 80 families over 5 months. All the food ingredients are paid for under the #OCBCCares programme.

Stella Jayanthi, a community worker at Beyond Social Services who oversees the project, said: "The programme has built a community of home cooks who are able to share and support each other, which is especially precious during these challenging times. The cross-sharing of knowledge and friendships are valuable outcomes of this programme and with each project, the women feel more confident to prepare meals for their neighbours."