Have extra CNY goodies? Here's where you can donate them

After all the hearty Lunar New Year festivities, some of us may be left with one too many tubs of snacks at home. Rather then letting them go to waste, why not do some good? 

Just recently, a woman shared how she had donated her extra Chinese New Year goodies to some migrant workers and encouraged others to do the same. Besides that, here are a few other places where you can drop off your goodies — just make sure they're unopened and aren't close to expiry. 

The Food Bank Singapore

The Food Bank Singapore was founded in 2012 by a pair of siblings who were taken aback by the amount of wastage the food industry produced. Their aim? To end food insecurity of all forms in Singapore. 

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They have more than 80 donation boxes around the island, making it convenient for the public to drop off excess food. You can locate the closest ones to you here. If you drive, you can also drop off the food at selected Shell petrol stations. 

The Food Bank implores donors to not donate half-eaten or expired snacks. Snacks that are new but are in opened boxes will not be accepted either. 

ItsRainingRaincoats

Founded in 2015, ItsRainingRaincoats is an initiative that aims to help migrant workers in Singapore integrate better into our community. Fun fact — their raincoat emblem symbolises how the organisation hopes to protect these workers from metaphorical thunderstorms! 

If you want to donate your Chinese New Year goodies to them, you can leave them at the following drop-off points. 

Majulah Belanja 

Majulah Belanja is an initiative that's a collaboration between multiple non-profit organisations such as Citizen Adventures, Itsrainingraincoats, Migrant x Me and Singapore Migrant Friends. It popped up during the Circuit Breaker period two years ago with the aim of aiding migrant workers who were affected by the Covid-19 restrictions. 

There are two types of donations you can opt for — personal (minimum for 20 pax) and bulk (for 200 pax and above). To donate, you can submit a request on this Google form. 

Food Rescue @ Events 

Founded in November 2017, Food Rescue @ Events hopes to create awareness of food wastage through education and outreach. 

Additionally, they help to redistribute on food to the needy. 

To donate, you can contact them on Facebook. 

Unmanned Free Food Pantry 

Unmanned Free Food Pantry is a pop-up food pantry that aims to aid low income neighbourhoods. 

The initiative was started by the Yeo family and was inspired by free food pantries overseas. 

To donate, you can drop them a message on Facebook to arrange a delivery time.

Olio 

Olio is a mobile app for food-sharing and was created with the aim of allowing people to donate or receive food or pre-loved items for free. 

All you need to do is snap a photo of the item that you wish to donate and set up your preferred pickup location. If someone is keen on collecting your item from you, you'll get a notification. 

Similar to Carousell, the app has a star rating system so you can check if the user you're dealing with is legitimate. 

Download it on Google Play or the App store. 

melissateo@asiaone.com