Singaporeans are very generous with donating to those in need, as can be seen in many newspaper articles throughout the years. But are we equally ready to give, when it comes to donating our time in the form of volunteering?
Animal Shelters
If you have always wanted a pet but don’t have one yet, why not
occasionally help out at animal shelters? You’ll get to spend quality
time with many rescue pets, and maybe even find meet the Right One
to bring home (adopt). Some of the more common volunteer work
include cleaning the rescue animals’ kennels and cages, taking the dogs
out for exercise, socialising with the rescues so that they
become/remain suitable for adoption, fostering rescues, helping out at
adoption drives and/or fundraising campaigns.
The Seniors
Do you have a way with the elderly? Are you the grandchild that every
grandparent wishes to have? Then volunteering with the Seniors will
be perfect for you. You’re not at all expected to feed them, shower
them, or dress them. Rather, it’s simply about being there. Be it just
pulling up a chair and chatting with them about anything they want to,
joining them for their weekly game of bingo, or delivering food to those
who are home-bound or living alone. All they want is companionship.
Soup Kitchens
Access to food is something that the majority of us take for granted. Be
it food delivery, eating out at new places, or even having someone at
home to cook for us. But there are thousands of less privileged
Singaporeans who cannot afford to do so. Poverty will always exist in
every country, no matter how wealthy the country grows to be. And
pandemic or not, we all need to eat every day.
You can help out at soup kitchens by either preparing the ingredients
the day before, or by packing the meals in the central kitchen in the
morning, or by distributing the packed meals before lunch time. Take
note that packing of the meals is usually the most labour-intensive and
can start as early as 6am, while distributing the packed lunches will
require you to own transport.
Children
The children of today are the future of Singapore. But they will all have
access to different sets of resources. We can do our part to support
the less privileged children by manning self-help phone lines/chatlines,
reading books to children, helping them in their school work at learning
centres, and even being facilitators at specially conducted camps.
How do I begin?
After deciding on the cause(s) that we care more about, there are many
ways that we can embark on our journey of volunteering.
Singapore’s one-stop platform for fundraising, volunteering and
donating. There are a whopping 3,000 campaigns for us to choose from.
It is also backed by the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth (MCCY),
so we can be assured that all events on this platform are legitimate and
approved.
Telegram Channels
Another avenue is via Telegram. A simple search of the keyword
‘volunteer’ will show you some channels in the volunteering
community. With community partners in fields from youth and family,
eldercare, environment, mental health and more, everyone will
definitely be able to find a cause that they wish to support.
People’s Association (PA)
We can also start volunteering from the comfort of our residential
community by joining PA as a grassroots volunteer. With over 1,800
Grassroots Organizations within the PA network, there is definitely a
role that suits our interest and strength for us to contribute to our
community.
Direct with the organization
Last but not least, if there is a specific organization that we wish to
support, we can also go straight to them for volunteering opportunities.
They will usually state their requirements on their website, or you can
drop them a call/ email to get started.
Volunteering is about giving back, about keeping the good old
kampung spirit alive, where we help fellow Singaporeans not because
we have to, but because we want to. It shouldn’t have to take a
national loss (the passing of MM LKY) or a global pandemic (covid-19)
for us to come together as Singaporeans. Nor should it only be the
government’s responsibility to care for those who are in need. The
collective effort of the government (parents) and the people (siblings),
is the best way to keep our family, Singapore, united as One.
And every effort makes a difference, no matter how small you might think it is. So
let’s take the first step today.
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