Charities say they need help spreading festive cheer amid fewer donations

SINGAPORE: Charities are appealing to donors to spread the year-end festive cheer as they face dwindling donations. 

The Boys’ Brigade is hoping to bring cheer to 45,000 beneficiaries, the highest number so far.

However, the brigade has collected only about half of the items needed for its hampers, said its executive director Desmond Koh. 

“Last year around this time, we had already reached about 55 per cent of the collection. So I would say collection is still a little bit slow, and we continue to appeal to the public to continue donating,” he said.

Each hamper contains more than 20 items including canned food, Milo and biscuits, he said. 

Efforts are also underway to fulfil wishlists from lower-income families that include items like stand fans, shoes, milk powder and hearing aids. One even asked for a wushu sword for a co-curricular activity in school.

Mr Koh said he is holding out hope that Singaporeans will come through.

“They've been very generous, and we have faith that they will continue to (be). I think for us, the trick is to really put out the call and to let people know what we’re short of and how much more we need,” he said.

DONATION DOLLARS SPREAD THIN

Other non-profit are also experiencing a sluggish mood for giving this season. 

The Food Bank Singapore has seen the amount of help needed rise about 20 per cent since 2020. Yet donations have halved over this year.

“There are many volunteers who want to come in but there's not enough food to work on. So we're hoping to get more donations towards the end of the year,” said Mr Jameson Chow, manager of engagements and fundraising at the organisation. 

To do more with less, the charity is requesting people donate funds instead of food.

"When we have monetary donations, actually the impact is sometimes double or triple, because we're able to purchase directly from our donors at charity rates,” said Mr Chow. He noted that the price might be even lower than cost price with suppliers also trying to do their part.

He added that being able to buy exactly what beneficiaries need also reduces waste by a lot.

However, donation dollars have spread thin despite some charities organising fundraisers. 

The Salvation Army, for instance, is still 20 per cent short of its goal of S$310,000. It attributed the slowdown partly to inflation and economic uncertainty.

"The other reason, we believe, is the change or the greater diversification of causes that people can contribute to, so that of course sort of segments the different causes that people can donate to,” said the organisation’s senior public relations manager Marc Lee

While donations in-kind remain steady, the charity urged donors not to treat its space as a junkyard for unwanted items.

SPENDING QUALITY TIME

Meanwhile, some organisations have found other ways to bring cheer to those who need it.

Boys' Town Sanctuary Care organises activities such as trampoline jumping to entertain children whose families do not earn much and lack a village to lean on. This gives such parents much-needed respite.

Their beneficiaries are infants and young children whose parents who, although willing and able to take care of them, are temporarily unable to do so due to life’s stressors, said the organisation's assistant manager Grace Eng.

The issues that these families face include medical emergencies, caregiver stress and transition needs, she said.

“It can be very scary and daunting for families with no social support. So respite care comes in to give them the space to focus on whatever issues they have, so that they have the time to resolve it,” she said. 

“We try to let the kids have a blast, and really just for them to enjoy being children,” she added.