Named after the women pioneers who helped build modern Singapore with their bare hands, Samsui Supplies & Services has worked hard to build corporate giving into the fabric of its business.
Samsui Supplies & Services is the inaugural winner of the President’s Award for Volunteerism and/or Philanthropy (Corporate – SME) 2016
When it comes to getting tasty and nutritious food to their beneficiaries, non-profit organisations (NPOs) have constantly faced issues with kitchen operations, manpower and resources.
In steps Samsui Supplies & Services, a sauce producer and distributor of food products, which provide these meals at a fraction of market costs.
Leveraging on their core competency in food procurement and production, the company uses their central kitchen to prepare meals for NPOs such as the Singapore Christian Home, The Salvation Army, Peacehaven Nursing Home, APSN Centre for Adults, Ren Ci Nursing Home and SWAMI Home.
In 2015, the company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of local restaurant of local restaurant chain Soup Restaurant, served 500,000 meals to the less privileged.
Leading a giving movement
Samsui Supplies & Services, a member of National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre’s (NVPC) Company of Good, also mobilises its employees, customers and business associates to do good together.
It got its business associates, Nestlé and Unilever, to provide low-cost meals to over 50,000 beneficiaries that included the elderly, children and persons with intellectual disabilities. The company also works with organisations such as Sembcorp Industries and Standard Chartered Bank in their corporate giving programmes.
To create a collective giving movement, it reached out to an estimated 100 corporate partners in January 2016, encouraging them to donate 2.5 per cent of their revenue earned from the company to the Community Chest.
Highlights of giving journey:
1. The kitchens of Soup Restaurant, which has 15 outlets islandwide, are used during the restaurants’ downtime to prepare meals for NPOs, which are then delivered to the latter.
2. Samsui Supplies & Services collaborated with the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) to set up the Social Pantry in 2016, an online mart that provides employment for APSN’s beneficiaries.
3. Donation boxes were placed at Soup Restaurant’s outlets to collect funds for the Community Chest and APSN.
4. As a Company of Good member and influencer on Giving.sg, Samsui Supplies & Services collaborates actively with NVPC. NVPC has introduced the company to and partnered it with charity groups and corporates to support their corporate giving programmes.
Featured programme
President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards
The President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards, conferred by the President of Singapore, honour individuals, corporates, ground-up movements, non-profit organisations and educational institutions that have achieved excellence in giving.
Company of Good
The Company of Good programme, launched on 2 June 2016, is developed by NVPC, in partnership with Singapore Business Federation Foundation (SBFF), supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), and in support of SG Cares.
