Small Acts Can Make a Big Difference

At just 14, Wallace Toh is showing how small acts of kindness can ripple through a community.

Once a week on a regular school night at around 9 pm, Wallace heads out for his Bread Run. A student at Catholic High School, Wallace spends about an hour each week collecting surplus bread from bakeries around Ang Mo Kio before redistributing it to welfare homes or designated distribution points. Sometimes, his journey even involves taking the bus from one place to another.

It may sound like a small commitment. But week after week, those one-hour bread runs have become a meaningful way for Wallace to give back to the community.

From School VIA to Something More

Wallace first started volunteering with Food from the Heart last October through his school’s Values in Action (VIA) programme. Alongside Bread Run, he also delivers meals for Willing Hearts.

During each Bread Run, he collects unsold or surplus bread and redistributes it to welfare homes or designated collection centres. His biggest collection from a single bakery so far? Six bags of bread.

But for Wallace, volunteering did not stop at collecting and delivering.

As he began to see how the programme’s impact of surplus bread reaching people in need could help people in the community, he began thinking about how more bakeries could get involved.

So, he reached out to them himself.

Wallace emailed more than a dozen bakeries to introduce them to the Bread Run programme. His efforts helped to bring new bakeries on board, allowing even more surplus bread to reach people who need it. Beyond simply volunteering his time, Wallace looked for another way to extend the circle of giving.

His experience reminds us that making adifference does not always require a grand gesture. Sometimes, it begins withnoticing a need — and deciding to do something about it.

More Than Just Bread

For the beneficiaries receiving the donated bread, each collection can bring a little variety and joy to their week.

Residents at The Singapore Cheshire Home receive the donated bread about twice a week. The bread comes in different flavours, including raisin and chocolate fillings.

“Thank you to everyone for lending a helping hand and letting us know that society hasn’t forgotten us,” shared resident Perera Anton Fernando.

Another resident, 38-year-old Vinayagam, knew that volunteers regularly brought bread to the home, even though he had never met them. When he discovered that one of the volunteers was only 14 years old, he was especially surprised.

More than bread collection and redistribution, every Bread Run tells a story of connection: a bakery that has chosen to share what they could, a volunteer who chose to give an hour of his evening, and there are people who receive the donated bread receiving a reminder that the community cares.

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A Heart Willing to Serve

Wallace’s story reminds us that volunteering does not have to begin with a big idea.

It can begin with an hour.

It can begin with a willingness to show up.

And sometimes, it can begin with simply asking, “What else can I do?”

For Wallace, that question led him from collecting bread to encouraging more bakeries to participate. His actions show how one volunteer’s contribution can extend beyond the task at hand and inspire others to play their part too.

As Robin C. Lee, CEO of Food from the Heart Singapore, said, "Wallace shows that making a difference doesn't require grand gestures—it begins with a heart willing to serve."

"We are grateful for Wallace’s dedication and hope his story inspires more young people to discover the joy and meaning of giving back."

Because every helping hand matters.

And sometimes, one hour is all it takes to get started.

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