How COVID-19 Has Changed Our Procedures and Operations at Our Charity

The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly and this has posed unprecedented challenges to our charity. We must all do our part in slowing the spread in the community while doing our best not to disrupt the food programme provided to the vulnerable community. They need the food packs more now than ever.

Volunteers who have visited the Food from the Heart warehouse are likely to be familiar with the duty of packing food items into food packs. It is one of those "many hands make light work" activities that requires a group working together in close-ish quarters to get the job done. Such food-packing sessions typically happen twice a day, lasting about 2.5 hours each session, and requires 20 volunteers to pack an average of 300 food packs.

Food from the Heart is extremely grateful to continue to receive support from our volunteers during COVID-19, and that charity and community is still on people's minds despite the crisis.

The safety and health of our volunteers and staff at our charity during COVID-19 is our foremost priority, as we recognise that it is only when we take care of our own that we can help our beneficiaries. Thus, we have meticulously re-worked our procedures and operations at our charity for COVID-19 for volunteers and staff, keeping in line with the Ministry of Health's guidelines.

Operations and Procedures for COVID-19 (Charity Volunteers and Staff)

• Visitor registration, travel declaration, and temperature checking at the door for staff, visitors and volunteer. Individuals who develop fever or display flu-like symptoms will be asked to return home. Staff are required to take their temperature twice a day.
• Volunteers are reminded to wash or sanitise hands before and after every session
• Safe distancing measures include
  • Limits on the number of volunteers at different locations of our premises at any given time
  • Reminders for our volunteers to keep a distance of 1m from each other during food packing and sorting sessions
  • Markers being placed on the floor as reminders
  • Segregation of space for staff and volunteers
• Increased frequency of cleaning and sanitation of common areas and touch points
• New partnership started on 13 April with courier uParcel to enable agents who wish to volunteer for door to door food pack delivery
• Started deliveries to referral beneficiaries from Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in April to aid other centres that have been asked to close, as well as more needy cases
• Increased the number of items in Community Food Packs from 8 to 12 items to help households cope with the higher consumption of home-cooked meals
• Acquired new warehouse space to house more food and volunteers while adhering to safety measures

As we combat this crisis, let’s be socially responsible and work to protect and care for one another. We thank you for your continued support during this critical time and wish you the the best of health.

As of the time of posting, Food from the Heart has sufficient volunteers till end April 2020. Nonetheless, those who wish to sign up to be notified of volunteering opportunities may do so.

With food purchase limits being implemented at supermarkets, amongst other things, Food from the Heart is in need of food and cash donations more than ever. Help us by donating cash or food items today.