Purchasing a new motorised wheelchair for an elderly who had trouble getting around after her old one broke down. Sponsoring movie tickets for underprivileged children so they can have a fun day out.
These are just some of the kind deeds done by Kemono Chicken in the name of charity.
In February, the roast chicken delivery service posted on its Facebook page about how it had rendered help to Old Grandma Sue, who was homebound as her motorised wheelchair broke down and she had no means to get a replacement.
It had heard about her plight through Project Love Lunch, a community of volunteers that renders various forms of assistance to the underprivileged.
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“The motorised wheelchair was her key to the outside world, losing it meant she was unable to step out of her home,” wrote Kemono Chicken.
“She (Grandma Sue) has breathing issues which hinder her from walking far. She also has weak limbs and finds it challenging to wheel herself around.”
Kemono Chicken’s management and staff decided to purchase a replacement motorised wheelchair – out of their own pockets – for Grandma Sue, which allowed her to move around the neighbourhood to visit her friends and do her daily chores again.
Earlier this month, Kemono Chicken also invited some of Project Love Lunch’s beneficiaries to an impromptu movie date, with the movie tickets, popcorn and drinks all paid for, and even gave out their signature rubber chicken toys to all the kids.
In a Facebook post, Project Love Lunch wrote: “The children had loads of fun, even chasing the last train home… they had a lot of fun playing with it in the train ride journey home, with loads of laughter and joy.”
The partnership between Kemono Chicken and Project Love Lunch began in December last year, after the former was approached to sponsor 50 bento meals for children on a museum visit in the same month.
Speaking to The Pride, Priscilla Ong, one of Project Love Lunch’s co-founders, explained: “We were reaching out to different restaurants to see if sponsors were willing to come in… we were really lucky that they (Kemono Chicken) were willing to sponsor… We are not a registered charity, so we don’t get grants from the government.”
A ground-up initiative launched in 2015, Project Love Lunch collects and distributes food, groceries and other essentials to low-income families in Marsiling. Earlier this year, the team of seven moved their base of operations to Yishun after Marsiling Cares was set up.
Every month, they would deliver rations to 90 families at Blks 162, 436 and 438 Yishun. A list of items needed would be published on their Facebook page one month before distribution.
Aside from that, Project Love Lunch would occasionally highlight essential items that are needed by the families, such as a disability vehicle, laptop for school work, and mobility walkers.
According to Ong, most of the underprivileged they help are those who “fall through the cracks”, especially when it comes to the senior citizens.
They currently have 13 active partner companies, with Kemono Chicken being one of them.
Kemono Chicken had written in its Facebook post: “There are many like Grandma Sue who suffer in silence and go unnoticed. The Kemono community is doing our small part to raise awareness for the selfless heroes at Project Love Lunch. Thanks to them, some of these cases get spotted and receive the crucial help that they need.”
“A little goes a long way. Nothing is more priceless than seeing a smile on their faces.”
Ong, who suffers from a permanent disability herself following an accident in 2016, said that she hopes more people will learn to view things from a different perspective, and support their ground-up initiative.
“We hope more people will step up. And hopefully, more companies we write in to will be willing to respond and work with us to make it easier for those who wish to do more,” said Ong.