By Huang Huifen

Some 595 students will not start their day in school hungry this year.

They will be given vouchers - worth $1 for primary school pupils and $1.50 for secondary school students - to use in canteens.

These children are the beneficiaries of a breakfast scheme run by the Loving Heart Multi-Service Centre in Jurong Central. The project, which began in 2006, helped 420 students last year.

The figures were revealed yesterday by Mr Lim Boon Heng, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, at the launch of the centre's School Partnership Programme (SPP) 2009 at Jurong Primary School.

The centre also runs an afterschool scheme for latchkey children called the Sports-Tuition-And-Mentoring Programme (Stamp).

Loving Heart is injecting about $30,100 more into the SPP compared to last year, due to a 20 per cent rise in aid applications. Altogether, it is spending $170,000 this year.

'More families are facing tighter finances and therefore will benefit from the programme,' said Mr Lim, adding that the SPP is even more critical in a downturn.

'While parents are looking for work or working, there is a lack of guidance for students. Stamp can provide the motivation through sports, extra tuition and mentoring so that students have 'uncles and aunties' to share their problems with,' he noted.

Stamp reaches out to children from Primary 6 to Secondary 2.

One such pupil is Daren Chan, 12, from Jurong Primary School. He used to go back to an empty house every day as both his parents are working.

Now, he has a mentor to turn to if he needs help with his homework, and friends to play soccer with every Monday afternoon.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.