Be A Santa

Dec 9

It’s that time of year when the mood shifts from moody to jolly as we go about decking our homes with boughs of holly, planning festive menus for get-togethers and drawing up shopping gift lists. As we wrap presents for our loved ones and stack them under the Christmas tree, wouldn’t it be nice to spread the Yuletide cheer to the less privileged in our communities, too?

Giving comes in many forms: donating cash and kind, adopting a charity or a child, volunteering, fostering kids, hosting meals, fund-raising and taking part in events/activities.

*“Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting.” (Thomas S. Monson)*

Browse through Weekly Sparks’ curated Santa list. Chances are you’ll find one that’s close to your heart and can spark joy in someone who has less in Singapore.

All we ask from you is to make sure that items you donate are in good condition – clean, wearable, reusable and edible.

Among the items the listed outlets here accept are clothes, paired shoes, household linen (bed sheets and towels), accessories (belts, bags, hats), gadgets in working condition (laptops, PCs, tablets, smartphones), housewares, unopened food, toiletries, craft items, books, musical instruments, hardware tools, etc.

Big At Heart is a donation platform, a non-profit social service organisation that inspires giving through volunteering, donations-in-kind and fundraising. It serves causes for children, marginalised women and low income communities by creating custom-giving projects for you to get involved in and start your giving journey in a convenient yet satisfactory way. You can contribute to a cause, volunteer and/or do collaborations.

Dignity Mama is a micro-enterprise model by Project Dignity that provides young adults with special needs the ability to start small businesses that are sustainable by gaining basic entrepreneurial skills. It hopes to encourage a culture of giving and reading among Singaporeans while simultaneously cultivating a socially-conscious, greener mindset towards unwanted items and abandoned books. Since its launch in 2012, DM has kept 50,000 books out of landfills and created employment opportunities for young adults with special needs. It has multiple stores located in major hospitals in Singapore.

HCSA Community Services is a charitable organisation on a mission to empower the vulnerable through its compassionate programmes. Beneficiaries include abused teenage girls, single parents who need support, and ex-offenders in their journey to rebuild their lives. It accepts anything from groceries, toiletries to household supplies. Check HCSA’s donation list to make sure you’re not giving them anything they don’t need. Reach out to them to indicate your interest in donating and the programmes team will arrange a date for you to swing by and drop off your stuff.

Spark is a self-funded, voluntary and non-profit charity that provides support to those living with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and their families. In 1998 the ADHD Parent Support Group was set up by a parent of an ADHD child as a means of gathering and providing support for other parents going through similar pains and frustrations. The success achieved by the Support Group in fostering understanding and acceptance towards ADHD children led to the realisation that more had to be done to raise awareness of ADHD amongst educators and the general public. In response to this, Spark was formed by a number of parents from the Support Group to expand on the scope of work done previously. Your contribution will go a long way towards supporting our highly subsidised family programmes.

Boys’ Town Fostering Services provides family-based care for vulnerable boys and girls from infants to young adults who come from disadvantaged and disengaged families and may have faced hardship resulting from difficult home situations, financial struggles, abandonment and abuse. Fostering programmes include residential care, fostering service, respite care, youth outreach, adventure therapy and clinical interventions.

Pass It On connects the general public to the needy through Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs). Its web-based platform channels the donated items to the needy under the VWOs care (ex. family service centres and senior citizen centres). VWOs registered with Pass-It-On can request items online under “Wish List”. You can fulfil the wishes by donating the requested items. Alternatively, you can post them on the website. The donated items will be made available to all registered VWOs, who shall reserve the donated items if found suitable for their needy clients. VWOs shall arrange collection of the donated items directly with the donor.

Home (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics) is dedicated to supporting and empowering migrant workers who experience abuse and exploitation. There are three ways you can support monetary contributions (from $10 to $500); in-kind donations (clothes, unopened food, toiletries, crafts) to the shelter; and can sponsor an outing for migrant workers. All these will go to Home’s schemes – assistance and free food for abused domestic workers, shelter, medical treatments, and legal aid for migrant workers returning home and upskill training classes.

Karangguni will pay cash for your trash. But it’s not just a business. It hopes that by doing so it not only helps in the recycling effort but also passes on these items to people in poorer countries who cannot afford new things. It accepts old newspapers, books, cardboards, clothes, computer systems and monitors, TV sets, furniture, hi-fi sets and mini components, CDs, DVDs etc. Be it in the office or residence, it provides free collection service at your doorstep.

All we can hope for is to spark joy in someone’s life not just this season but all throughout the year. With that I leave you with one of my favourite quotes that captures the true essence of giving by Thomas S. Monson: “Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting.”

Debbie | ws

Debbie Reyes-Coloma

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