Reader's Digest

July• 2018 | 37

READER’S DIGEST

poverty. These include the working
poor and the unemployed – people
who face a daily challenge of buying
food. Some estimates show Singa-
pore has about 20 to 35 per cent of
households living in relative poverty
unable to access basic daily needs.
Within two years the high number
of meals Tony and his small team
cookedeachdayforcedthemto
moveoperationstoalargerkitchen.
Afterbrieflyoccupyingchurch
premisesandanindustrialcomplex
themealcentremovedtoagovern-
ment-managed community hub in
Eunos east of Singapore. Willing
Hearts a non-profit organisation
wasborn.TodayWillingHearts
servesaround7000mealsadayhas
ten full-time staf and is dependent
on donors and volunteers for rent
electricity food and labour.
Every day Tony faces the challenge
of getting enough volunteers to help
with food preparation cooking and
delivering–oftenwithoutknowing
whatingredientswillbedonatedfor
themeals.“Weoncehadsomuch
peanut butter that we did not know
what to do” he recalls. “I thought for
a moment then cooked the Malay
dish ofMee Siam(t h i n r ic e no o d le s
with gravy).”
Tony arrives at the Willing Hearts
kitchen at 3am to cook and co-ordi-
nate. About 200 volunteers gather
round rectangle tables to cut peel
and wash vegetables and other in-
gredients while another group of

volunteers deliver the cooked lunches

to 40 collection points all within walk-

ing distance of beneiciaries. he day

ends in the evening after collecting

donated ingredients and vegetables

for preparation the following day.

Liketheelderlymanwhoasked

himforthefirstmealTonynever

askswhypeoplearetakinghisfood.

“Wedonotjudge”hesays.

At71Tonyhasnoplanstostop.

Instead he intends to increase the

number of meal deliveries to feed

more people.

“More people are coming in asking

for help especially stroke patients

and the disabled and we have to

move forward” he says.

What keeps him going?

“he smile on people’s faces when

they see the food” Tony says. “Food

in the stomach is the most basic

thing. I can’t take care of all their

problems but at least when there

isfoodinthestomachthoughtsof

otherthingscanchange;itbinds

people and communities. In Singa-

porewecallitthekampongspirit

(Ma lay-v i llage communit y spir it).”

In 2013 Tony received the Singapore

President’s Volunteerism &

Philanthropy Award and last year

the Philippines' Ramon Magsaysay

Award which recognises

transformative leadership in

individuals in Asia. Willing Hearts is

the only secular charity in Singapore

to offer delivered meals to the poor

including halal food for Muslims.