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Heroes Unmasked: They take time off work to bake cookies and pack flowers for healthcare workers, cleaners

SINGAPORE — For the past week, Ms Jasling Boo, 53, has been taking days off work to bake and pack butter cookies for healthcare workers and cleaners fighting the Covid-19 outbreak.

(From left)  Ms Ong Ai Peng, Ms Susan Heng, Ms Veronica Ong and Ms Jasling Boo with the cookies and flowers they prepared for healthcare workers and cleaners.

(From left) Ms Ong Ai Peng, Ms Susan Heng, Ms Veronica Ong and Ms Jasling Boo with the cookies and flowers they prepared for healthcare workers and cleaners.

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As Singapore battles the Covid-19 outbreak, TODAY’s Heroes Unmasked series highlights those who are doing their bit to spread kindness and compassion during this period. In this instalment, we speak to Ms Jasling Boo, who rallied residents of Pasir Ris and Tampines to spend three days baking and packing 200 jars of cookies, along with sunflowers, for healthcare workers and cleaners.

SINGAPORE — For the past week, Ms Jasling Boo, 53, has been taking days off work to bake and pack butter cookies for healthcare workers and cleaners fighting the Covid-19 outbreak.

“We added a little red chip shaped like a heart at the centre of the cookies, to let the nurses (and others) feel we love them and want to care for them also,” Ms Boo, who lives in Pasir Ris, told TODAY.

Together with seven other Pasir Ris and Tampines residents, she spent 10 to 12 hours a day preparing 200 jars of cookies on Monday (Feb 24), Tuesday and Thursday at the Pasir Ris East Community Club.

But Ms Boo, who works as an office administrator, told TODAY that it was worth giving up her time off to support those on the frontlines of the outbreak.

“Some of the healthcare workers also sacrifice their leave and off-days to help us fight the virus. They are working harder. It is important to show our care for them,” she said.

The 200 jars of biscuits prepared by the group for healthcare workers and cleaners. Photo: Matthew Loh/TODAY

She said half of the group involved had to take time off from work in order to participate.

The charity effort started on Feb 20 when Mdm Boo and her quilling interest group at the community club crafted and decorated 100 thank-you cards for those working at the Pasir Ris Polyclinic.

These cards were signed by residents and hawkers in the neighbourhood, along with community partners such as members of the Merchants Association, some nearby temples and a church.

When community club staff told Ms Boo that they were thinking of preparing cookies for the healthcare workers as well, she decided to take on the task herself.

“We thought of what would be suitable for nurses. What would be the easiest for them to receive? So we thought that cookies would be the best thing to give,” she said.

She used WhatsApp to message fellow residents and friends whom she knew were active in the community club, and asked if they were willing to pitch in. On Monday, eight of them began baking and packing cookies, with Mdm Boo leading the charge.

“I can say that I can bake well, so I can teach them how to do it. I had the confidence that we could bake 200 bottles in time,” she said.

Funding for the baking materials was procured for by the community club, but Ms Boo bought the volunteers lunch and dinner to feed them as they worked day and night.

By Thursday, the cookies were packed and ready for distribution, but the volunteers did not stop there.

On Friday morning, Ms Boo and three others from the same group of volunteers prepared 100 sunflowers for the frontline workers as well.

One of the thank-you cards prepared by the group for healthcare workers. Photo: Matthew Loh/TODAY

This time, they were guided by another volunteer, Ms Susan Heng, 53, an ex-florist who is now a homemaker.

Ms Heng told TODAY: “At first we were hunting for roses. But then we thought it is quite weird to give them roses because they are kind of like for lovers. So we give them sunflowers to brighten their day.”

“I feel proud to help the frontline workers. We cannot volunteer to go down and fight the virus ourselves so we support them,” she added.

Bundled together, the sunflowers, thank-you cards and cookies will be distributed to workers at the Pasir Ris Polyclinic on Saturday (Feb 29), while other batches of cookies will be given to nearby cleaning staff on another day.

Mr Wilson Low, constituency director for Pasir Ris East, told TODAY: “This idea for the initiative came from us, but all of the hard work was done by these residents. They deserve all the recognition and praise.”

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