Mariam Jaafar on growing Singapore’s hawker culture
Beyond cheap and good food, hawker centres have long been about community. So, it is only right that, beyond Government policies and actions taken by operators such as the National Environment Agency and social enterprises, the wider community be engaged in sustaining hawker culture. MP Mariam Jaafar made this point in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 13). She cited the example of the Belanja-A-Meal @ Woodlands initiative which she started - a pay-it-forward programme where people can buy extra meals at hawker stalls or make an online donation, and low-income residents can redeem 10 free meals of their choice a month for each member of their family. Set up during the COVID-19 pandemic and now in its fourth year, it is still growing and has seen more than 70,000 free meals redeemed with more beneficiaries joining the programme amid the increased cost of living. Ms Mariam believes such initiatives can be scaled up across the nation so that Singaporeans can help ensure that hawker centres continue to be vibrant, inclusive spaces that reflect the Singapore spirit.
Beyond cheap and good food, hawker centres have long been about community. So, it is only right that, beyond Government policies and actions taken by operators such as the National Environment Agency and social enterprises, the wider community be engaged in sustaining hawker culture. MP Mariam Jaafar made this point in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 13). She cited the example of the Belanja-A-Meal @ Woodlands initiative which she started - a pay-it-forward programme where people can buy extra meals at hawker stalls or make an online donation, and low-income residents can redeem 10 free meals of their choice a month for each member of their family. Set up during the COVID-19 pandemic and now in its fourth year, it is still growing and has seen more than 70,000 free meals redeemed with more beneficiaries joining the programme amid the increased cost of living. Ms Mariam believes such initiatives can be scaled up across the nation so that Singaporeans can help ensure that hawker centres continue to be vibrant, inclusive spaces that reflect the Singapore spirit.
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