Start Small Dream Big (SSDB) – FoodBank Singapore & Food from the Heart (Clean Plate Campaign)
Agape Little Uni @ Upper Serangoon
“Start small, dream big” is a message which we wish to impart into every Agape child.
World hunger has always been a concerning global issue. To partake in tackling the issues of food insecurity and food wastage, the children of Agape Little Uni. @ Upper Serangoon worked together as one to support the relevant causes.
To kickstart our SSDB initiative, the children engaged in a variety of experiences related to food donation and food wastage during our June Holiday Programme to discover more about the importance of supporting food security and helping vulnerable families.
For this year’s SSDB, we decided to work with two organisations, namely FoodBank Singapore and Food from the Heart. We took part in FoodBank’s food donation initiative by setting up a 3-week long donation drive in our centre, inviting parents and children to donate food items collectively as a school. We also participated in Food from the Heart’s annual “Clean Plate Campaign” where children learnt how they can contribute to working towards a zero-food waste environment in their daily routines.
June Holiday Programme
In the month of June, the children were exposed to a wide range of meaningful and interactive activities related to topics such as “food donation”, “food wastage” and “farm-to-table”. Besides just learning about why it is important to not waste food and help others in need, these activities cultivated children’s appreciation to our valuable food sources.
Smart Toddler class - “Colourful healthy foods”
In alignment with the Clean Plate campaign, the ST children exercised their creative minds and fine motor skills to decorate their Clean Plate booklets with colours of their choice. They were engaged in the activity as they pointed out some of the healthy foods found on the booklet.
Nursery 1 – “Let’s enjoy our favourite food!”
The N1s had a fun activity where they cut out pictures of favourite snacks. They enjoyed thinking about their favourite yummy treats and sharing them with their classmates. Afterwards, the children coloured in a “Clean Plate” campaign poster and made a pledge not to waste food. It was a creative and meaningful experience for everyone!
Nursery 2 – “Our healthy food craft”
During the June Holiday Programme, the children learnt about the importance of eating healthy foods and appreciating our food sources. Using various methods and mediums, the N2 children created different food crafts. The children were specially intrigued by the idea of using inedible parts of vegetables (e.g. stem) to create flower-like patterns.
Kindergarten 1 - “Saturday at Food Pantry”
The K1 children read the book “Saturday at Food Pantry” and was introduced to the concept of food donation bank. This literature supported the children’s ability to comprehend why we are supporting Food Bank Singapore’s initiative in donating food items to vulnerable families. The children reflected on the story that was read by creating a 3D collage of what they would like to donate to Food Bank and help those in need.
“We can donate lots of canned foods to Food Bank!”
“I want to share some healthy food with others!”
Kindergarten 2 - “What can we donate?”
The K2 children were taught how to store food properly to prevent spoilage. They also participated in an activity called “What Food Can Be Donated?” where they learned to check expiry dates and assess whether foods were opened or used before donating them.
Food Bank Donation Drive
Our food donation drive for Food Bank Singapore was held across the months of May and June. Throughout the weeks, the staff, children and parents of Agape Little Uni. @ Upper Serangoon came forward with generous donations.
It is heartening to know that we have collected a significant amount of food through the donation drive. Upon consolidation, we are pleased to inform that 240kg of food was donated to Food Bank from our school and that the amount donated resulted in a provision of 800 meals to the beneficiaries.
We also had the pleasure of visiting Food Bank Singapore’s warehouse with our children and parent volunteers to complete the food delivery personally. The children and parent volunteers also had a tour around the warehouse to better understand the donation process and operations of Food Bank Singapore.
Clean Plate Campaign
After the completion of our food donation drive, we embarked on a campaign set up by Food from the Heart (FFTH) to extend our support towards increasing food security and zero food wastage – the Clean Plate Campaign. The Clean Plate Campaign encourages individuals to practice the habit of mindful eating to reduce food wastage. Under this campaign, FFTH donates $1 for every clean plate count.
We participated in this campaign for a period of 3 weeks, recording every clean plate that is collected in school during lunch time. The children were eager to join this meaningful campaign through completing their Clean Plate campaign’s activity booklet and collecting as many Clean Plate stickers as they could across the weeks when they manage to complete their meals. We are pleased to share that Agape Little Uni. @ Upper Serangoon tallied a total of 1,196 clean plates for this Clean Plate campaign which helped to raise funds amounting to $1,196.
It has been an insightful and memorable experience for everyone in Agape Little Uni. @ Upper Serangoon to embark on these projects for SSDB 2024. We hope that we have helped our little ones gain better understanding of reducing food waste and know how they can support those who are facing food insecurity. We believe that this experience has also fostered some valuable dispositions that we wish to impart to the children, such as caring for those in need and working together as a team to accomplish a mission or task.
