9102
The Food Bank Singapore's Bank Book 2019 February
In 2018, we redistributed:
550
tonnes of food
That's a 39% increase from 2017!
CFO Bites The last quarter of 2018 was a stark reminder of why we need to do what we do and to do it better. Within a short span of 2 months, 2 conflicting reports about Singapore emerged. Singapore is the world's most secure nation despite only growing 8 percent of what we consume. (Global Food Security Index, 2018)
On the other hand, more than 20 percent of people face food insecurity. (Hunger in a Food Lover's Paradise: Understanding Food Insecurity in Singapore, 2018)
Why should anyone face food insecurity issues in our food haven? It is indeed worrying. Therefore we have fine-tuned our mission statement, which is "to end food insecurity in forms in Singapore by 2025". The Food Bank Singapore's (FBSG) mission has also become clearer than ever. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Let the feeding continue!
Nichol Ng Nicholas Ng Chief Food Officers
2018 HIGHLIGHTS 407
37,805
Food bundles were distributed
92
16,521 bundles from 2017
Food drives were organised
67
30 f&b donors from 2017
Industry donors donated their excess food
Volunteer groups spared their time 34 groups from 2017
2,184
Hours contributed by volunteers 386 hours contributed from 2017
Several new beneficiary centres on board
Target of 500 beneficiary centres by end 2019
The 12th Annual Food Bank Leadership Institute was the largest preeminent international forum in The Global Foodbanking Network history. At #FBLI2018 in Houston, Texas, we joined more than 30 countries in sharing and learning innovative ways to alleviate world hunger and reduce food waste through food banking. We were energised and encouraged to translate the information and training provided to explore plans to increase efficiency and scale operations to collect more food and serve more people facing hunger in Singapore.
Food banking in the global arena This year, we had the privilege to attend a 3-day Food Symposium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, organised by Kechara Soup Kitchen. This yearly affair sees food banks from Southeast Asia gather to share about their organisations. During the trip, we learnt about the partnership between Tesco and Kechara to donate their excess fresh produce. We even delivered food bundles to some of their beneficiaries! In addition, we were also invited to Kechara’s 10th anniversary dinner and met Y.A.M. Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zatashah Binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and YB Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Bin Ismail.
In March 2018, we partnered with Gone Adventurin and had the first Feeding the 5000 event in Asia. Feeding the 5000 is an internationally renowned event that have taken place in over 40 locations around the world since the first edition in London in 2009. Held at City Square Mall, the event provided a free meal to 5,000 members of the public, made entirely from ingredients that would have otherwise gone to waste! This was to highlight the 791,000 tonnes of food waste Singapore is generating and to encourage retailers and supermarkets to do their part to reduce wastage by regularly donating surplus food to people in need.
Food banking in Singapore Global Compact Network Singapore successfully organised the third CEO Round-table and the 2018 Sustainable Solutions Expo. The CEO Round-table brought together 38 business leaders, investors, and representatives of government agencies, including our Chief Food Officer Nichol Ng, to discuss the development of an ecosystem to actualise the 17 sustainable development goals in Singapore and Asia.
FBSG was the appointed charity of Food&Hotel Asia 2018, the largest international food trade show in Asia. Held from April 24 to 27 at 10 exhibition halls in Singapore Expo, the event drew 3,466 exhibitors from 76 countries and regions. We had the opportunity to spread the message about food wastage and its impact on the environment to food manufacturers and suppliers. We collected a total of 13,895kg of food including fresh produce, breads, pastries, and frozen products - which were redistributed to our beneficiaries.
Food exhibitions
ITB Asia 2018
12 tonnes
Speciality & Fine Foods Asia 2018
of food were collected from just 3 trades shows!
Exceeding their yearly 10-tonne target, Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Life Sciences & Chemical Technology collected a total of 18.7 tonnes of food from staff, students and members of the public in just 2 weeks!
Food drives
Food drive is a simple and fuss-free way to get involved! Donate any close to expiry food items from your office pantry or kitchens at home! Interested to host a food drive? Find out how at: https://foodbank.sg/index.php/getinvolved/donate/food/food-drive
Nespresso and FBSG have extended their partnership for a second year, pledging a donation of 6’000 Healthy Food Bundles. Through Nespresso’s One Pod At A Time sustainability campaign, the coffee grounds from their used capsules are sent to Quan Fa Organic Farm to be used as compost to grow healthy vegetables. These organic vegetables are then sent to the FBSG as part of the Healthy Food Bundles that are donated to the local families in need.
In 2018, Ibis Hotel Bencoolen committed to reducing food waste collected from its daily breakfast buffet by launching the Clear Your Plate initiative. For every empty plate saved, Ibis would donate S$1 to FBSG. A total of $3,772 was donated at the end of the campaign!
Together with Plentyfull, FBSG launched the One-Dish@A-Time campaign, which aims to encourage consumers to have a meal made from excess food and to heighten awareness of the food insecurity situation in Singapore. Restaurants and chefs are challenged to create unique menus and part of the proceeds from these meals will then go to FBSG to support the end hunger movement.
Campaigns & partnerships
Nearly 500 boxes of unsold baked goods were collected almost daily from Plain Vanilla in an effort to reduce food wastage. Yay to sweet treats for our beneficiaries!
LeVel33 Restaurant pledged its excess pastries and pasta from its lunch menu to do its part to reduce food wastage. In celebration of its 8th Anniversary, an auction was held where $2,650 were raised to support FBSG and our beneficiaries.
A total of 185kg of freshly baked bread loaves was collected weekly from Baker & Cook at Hillcrest Road. Additionally, a year-long fundraising campaign was initiated by placing Food Bank donation tins at 9 outlets to support our operational needs and to provide food to our beneficiaries regularly.
Together with Fairprice, we aimed for 50,000kg of food to be collected. Volunteers were stationed at selected locations out of the 27 participating outlets to encourage members of the public to donate any unopened and unexpired food items as well as to raise awareness to the patrons on food insecurity and wastage issues in Singapore.
A week-long of Fresh Food Truck activities was held in celebration of World Food Day in October. Volunteers were roped in to salvage ugly fruits and vegetables due to cosmetic filtering. The fresh produce was redistributed to beneficiaries living in rental blocks islandwide. Residents were grateful and appreciative for the help and support and volunteers gained insight on the amount of food wasted each day.
Joy In Every Bundle aims to supplement our amount of food rations as our food donations are limited and unable to supply our beneficiaries with a substantial amount of food regularly. Five thousand food bundles were pledged, packed and distributed to bring joy to beneficiaries living in rental flats.
2019 Plans Food insecurity in Singapore In line with our mission to end food insecurity in Singapore, we are partnering with Lien Centre for Social Innovation to dive deep into the food insecurity issue in our own backyard. With a nation-wide survey and research on contributing factors, we hope to highlight the growing numbers and encourage more donors to extend their helping hands to our beneficiaries.
Other than simply redistributing food to our beneficiaries, we also intend to provide nutritional facts and tips on healthier food choices. Our regular programmes such as the Fresh Food Truck project, Healthier Food Bundles and Breakfast @ The Pantry will be avenues that reach out to our beneficiaries to ensure they have a well-balanced diet.
Support the fight against hunger
Health is Wealth
In our mission to end food insecurity in Singapore, this year we are partnering with US-based application, TangoTab. With every download of the TangoTab app, a meal will be donated to The Food Bank Singapore and our beneficiaries. Find out how you can be a part of this exciting new movement and do your part to feed Singapore! Be part of something bigger today. Download TangoTab and #tangotabit when you dine out. Because when you eat, they eat.
The Big Move! FBSG will be shifting our office and warehouse to Pandan Loop at the end of 2019! With a larger facility and plans to set up a central kitchen, we are excited to be able to house more volunteers and provide hot meals to our beneficiaries at any time of the day.
Thank you, our partners, donors and all Foodbankers!
For any contributions or volunteer opportunities: www.foodbank.sg
@thefoodbanksingapore
@foodbanksg
The Food Bank Singapore's
Let The Feeding Begin!
Bank Book 2019 February