S$40 donation by President Halimah at event ‘symbolic’, not actual contribution: Boys’ Brigade

SINGAPORE — The Boys’ Brigade on Thursday (Nov 19) clarified that a S$40 donation made by President Halimah Yacob during an event to kick off the organisation’s Share-A-Gift 2020 charity drive was a “symbolic donation” and not the actual contribution she had made.

In a media statement, the Boys’ Brigade said that the donation made by Mdm Halimah during the ceremony on Wednesday was set at S$40 to match the value of the FairPrice vouchers that each beneficiary of the charity drive will receive.

“The Boys’ Brigade wishes to clarify that the donation made during the ceremony was a symbolic donation to the first beneficiary to launch the (Boys’ Brigade Share-A-Gift) programme,” the organisation said.

It stressed that the S$40 was not the actual donation made by Mdm Halimah.

“(She) had in fact earlier pledged to donate to 200 beneficiaries when she agreed to grace the opening ceremony,” the Boys’ Brigade said.

The annual Boys’ Brigade Share-A-Gift 2020 charity drive was launched by Mdm Halimah on Wednesday with a revamped donation drive.

This year, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, for the first time in 33 years, the Boys Brigade will be distributing FairPrice vouchers to its beneficiaries instead of its signature food hamper distribution.

The organisation said that the shift from food item donations to online donations — and from food hampers to vouchers this year — seeks to minimise face-to-face interactions at donation counters and during delivery.

Members of the public can still, however, order the food hampers via FairPrice Online. They will then be delivered directly to 24,318 beneficiaries by social service agencies.

The public can also donate online via BB PayNow (found displayed in 145 FairPrice stores across Singapore) as well as Giving.sg.

Donations via AXS stations begin from Dec 1.

The Straits Times on Thursday ran a correction after wrongly stating in an earlier article that Mdm Halimah had donated S$40.