Impact Stories
Sun Yu Hua
Stall owner
There is always this uncle and auntie who come to redeem and I think this program is very effective. In this pandemic, everyone is having a hard time so it is good that we can help one another. However, donation was better before the pandemic but now there is not much donation.
Maria
Recipient of BAM
When there are enough magnets, I will redeem a meal and it is very convenient. I will recommend BAM to people who need it because it can help you.
*Maria did not wish to get her photo taken
Ambigai Das
Volunteer
I joined BAM because I believed not only in this programme but also in Logita who helmed this programme. She has been a strong backbone that has steered this programme to greater heights over the years. What started out in just one coffeeshop with a small team, has now grown to a Sembawang wide programme.
Mohamed Nizam Khan
Volunteer
Parents, especially in low income households, work almost the entire week and often long hours. With the limited time they have, they still have to cook meals after a tiring day of work. BAM has an aim of providing hot cooked meals that families can redeem at their convenience. It's a team effort and BAM is fortunate to have such a motivated team which also in turns motivates me to help in anyway I can. I believe that simple gestures like these can go a long way to have a happy community.
Lim Shan Shan
Volunteer
I joined BAM because I find it more fulfilling than other school VIA projects. Since I get to directly interact with both the beneficiaries and the coffeeshop supervisor, I felt like I have made a more tangible change. BAM is eye-opening because through house visits, we got to see the hidden side of Singapore — the different circumstances the disadvantaged live in. I think it is important for people to be able to eat hot prepared food especially since many of the families eat instant food for meals.
What have we been doing?
Lim Shan Shan
Volunteer
I joined BAM because I find it more fulfilling than other school VIA projects. Since I get to directly interact with both the beneficiaries and the coffeeshop supervisor, I felt like I have made a more tangible change. BAM is eye-opening because through house visits, we got to see the hidden side of Singapore — the different circumstances the disadvantaged live in. I think it is important for people to be able to eat hot prepared food especially since many of the families eat instant food for meals.
House visits
At BAM, we believe that communication is key. Prior to the pandemic, we would schedule house visits to all our beneficiaries every 3-6 months. Due to the pandemic, we have shifted to making phone calls instead.
For the first house visit, we would teach beneficiaries how to redeem their meals, where to collect their new card and who to contact for information.
For the subsequent visits, we would check in with beneficiaries if they encounter any problems. When the financial situation of some beneficiaries get better, they would be taken off the program with their consent so that we can help even more people.
Internal meetings
Internally, we hold meetings either at coffeeshops or online to gather feedback, list out any pressing problems and decide on the next course of action. By holding meetings, we also ensure all our volunteers are on the same page so that we can convey information to other stakeholders accurately.
Cells
Each coffeeshop is tagged to a cell, which is a group of volunteers who are keen to give back to the community. Each cell will have the freedom to plan their activities such as beach clean up, neighbourhood walkabouts etc. Cells closely support BAM by building rapport with the stall owners and frequent patrons of the coffeeshop to promote BAM and surface out any teething problems.
External meetings
As BAM is continually expanding, we meet the owners of potential coffeeshop participants to pitch the program to them. We also continue to keep in touch with the in-charge of our current coffeeshops to check if the stalls are facing any problems and the level of donations.
In the media
