Tokyo Electron Singapore (TSI) collaborated with Home Nursing Foundation to distribute goodie bags to home patients around Singapore. The goodie bags contained daily necessities from shower gel to food items like milo malt drink, noodles, biscuits, etc.
This was the second time of the year that TSI partnered up with Home Nursing Foundation for a goodie bag distribution. The first time was done during Chinese New Year, back in February 2023, where volunteers personally delivered the goodie bags to the home patients. Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, symbolizes a way to a fresh new start in one's life, welcoming new and good hopes for prosperity, wealth, and happiness. We took this festive opportunity to sponsor, visit and distribute goodie bags to 40 home care patients around Singapore. These home care patients are beneficiaries from Home Nursing Foundation.
Since it was the festive season, the goodie bags not also include daily necessities, but also several Chinese New Year snacks like bird’s nest for vitality, love letters, kuih bahulu, etc. were carefully curated for the beneficiaries to enjoy with their loved ones during the festive season. Aside from that, because volunteers were visiting the home care patients personally, we have also prepared two sweet mandarin oranges per visit to each house in a CNY orange bag. Giving mandarin oranges is a tradition also known as "song gam" in the Cantonese language. This also means "giving gold", which are used as a symbol of giving well wishes and prosperity to the recipient. Volunteers were also strongly encouraged by the nurses to strike conversation with the home patients as we learned that some home patients lived alone and sometimes, just having someone visiting and talking to them would make their day.
The first goodie bag distribution was a major success and received great responses from the volunteers. The volunteers found the entire session to be very meaningful and touching. Some volunteers have also feedback to us that it would be nice for their family members like their children to participate together in such volunteer activities. We figured that it was a good idea to nurture the young minds of the children, for them to cultivate an empathetic heart from young. Therefore, for the second goodie bag distribution, we extended the volunteer invitation to employees’ family members and friends to join us. We have also increased the goodie bag distribution by 150%, from the previous 40 beneficiaries to 100 beneficiaries island wide around Singapore.
Overall, volunteers found the session extremely meaningful and eye-opening as they learnt to be more empathetic and appreciative of the people around. We hope that we can continue to support more home care patients in needs in the nearby future and create positive impact on their lives.
Singapore
