S'porean woman sets up pantry corner near Jalan Besar CC with free food for residents in need

It is a project that she and her friend embarked to help those in the neighbourhood.

Karen Lui | November 01, 2021, 05:19 PM

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Any residents near Jalan Besar Community Centre who need daily food essentials can check out the new pantry corner at Block 817 Jellicoe Road.

All items at the pantry corner including cooking oil, instant noodles, milk, salt, and sugar are free for anyone to take.

Free food essentials for those in need

The initiative was set up by Anne Gasper, a 33-year-old Singaporean woman in the tech industry, and her 32-year-old non-Singaporean female friend.

The initiative was first suggested by another friend named Naidu, and was initially supposed to start in November.

However, Gasper and her friend chose to start the initiative before Deepavali (Nov. 4).

Image by Anne Gasper.

Speaking to Mothership, Gasper shared that they plan to set it up every two weeks on a Saturday morning and may look to expand to two spots in the future.

The 33-year-old disclosed that they are not working with any external vendors or agencies and and have fully funded the initiative this time round.

"We will be carrying on the subsequent efforts with the support of a couple of our friends who are also in this with us."

Having lived in the neighbourhood for her entire life, Gasper noticed many seniors in the area and believed the items might be of use to them during this period. Hence, this location was chosen, she said.

Items available

Gasper said that the pantry will be focusing on the following essential items that are presently available at the pantry corner:

  • vegetable oil
  • cornflakes
  • milk
  • instant noodles
  • instant oatmeal
  • cane sugar
  • salt
  • pasta
  • canned milk
  • canned sardines

Image by Anne Gasper.

They may expand the current line-up of items to include rice and more meat products, she revealed, adding that they have created a menu of items for different fortnights.

Positive response

Gasper had only managed to catch sight of one elderly person walking away with two items.

A quick chat with the elderly person who spoke Tamil revealed to Gasper that a number of the residents in the area have gained awareness about this free-for-all pantry corner.

According to Gasper who monitored the place for two days, all the items had been picked up by people by Sunday (Oct. 31) morning.

Image courtesy of Anne Gasper.

As it is a project that they embarked to help those in the neighbourhood, Gasper shared that her team is "pretty self-sufficient" at the moment.

However, those who would like to contribute in some way or form to the initiative can drop her an email at [email protected].

Food Pantry

Address: Block 817 Jellicoe Road Singapore 200817

Top images via Anne Gasper.

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