What if you could physically help someone in need by simply pressing a few buttons? Provide a child from a low-income family with stationery? Ferry an underprivileged end-stage kidney patient to and fro dialysis?
These are very real and urgent needs in the community, and while those of us in the position to lend a helping hand feel inclined to do so, it is not uncommon that we are unsure about how to support these needs, or that we experience inertia about how to start.
As the Co. exists to connect people and strengthen the community in the Duxton neighbourhood, we strive to be the Co.mmunity that we want to have and recognise the importance of giving back to the underserved among us. We considered what we can do as a social space and community player to make giving back more accessible for everyone.
Our neighbourhood is a diverse and vibrant one, and the SG Cares Volunteer Centre @ Kreta Ayer plays an integral role in taking care of the members of our community by connecting people with volunteer opportunities. This season of giving from December 2021 through January 2022, the Co. has teamed up with them to emulate the spirit of giving that the Volunteer Centre represents, and to make lending a helping hand to those who need it more accessible. Our goal: to close the gap between giver and receiver.
Enter The Giving Machine.
This vending machine goes the extra mile by allowing people to give as they receive. Choose a helpful and meaningful gift towards one of our participating social service agencies and receive a commemorative thank you card from the chosen beneficiary.
The physical Giving Machine can be found at our space at 99 Duxton Road, Singapore 089543.
The virtual Giving Machine can be accessed at www.jointhe.co/giving-machine.
Participating Social Service Agencies
The Co. has joined forces with seven social service agencies (SSAs) under the neighbourhood's SG Cares Volunteer Centre @ Kreta Ayer in hopes of closing the gap between the giver and receiver. These seven SSAs are:
Babes Pregnancy Crisis Support・Beautiful Mind Charity・Club Rainbow・Kidney Dialysis Foundation・New Hope Community Services・Oogachaga・The Red Pencil (Singapore)
(Source: Club Rainbow)
All of these wonderful SSAs do amazing work with our underserved communities including (but not limited to) low-income families, the homeless, our LGBTQIA+ community, young single mothers, terminal stage kidney disease patients and people with special needs.
Giving With The Giving Machine
In efforts to make the act of giving more accessible with The Giving Machine, the Co. strives to help the community (that’s you!) understand the available causes and objectives to support at a single glance. There are a range of these to get behind, from a meal for a homeless person, to an art therapy session for a child, or groceries for a young single mother and her infant child.
Imagine your $10 donation materialising into two meals for an end-stage kidney disease patient receiving support from the Kidney Dialysis Foundation. Your donated amount goes towards a very real and specific objective to help the beneficiary of your choosing—in this case, to fill their belly over two breakfasts.
Via The Giving Machine, each of the available objectives that can be supported is represented by a card illustrating the good or service the donation amount will provide the specific SSA and its beneficiary. For example:
A $5 donation will enable New Hope Community Services to provide a meal for a homeless individual;
A $50 donation to Beautiful Mind Charity will fund concert expenses to showcase the talents of music students with special needs;
A $135 donation will go towards purchasing 2 months’ worth of food rations for one low-income family under the support of Club Rainbow, and so on.
Receiving With The Giving Machine
After deciding on the beneficiary to extend a helping hand towards and making the corresponding donation, a commemorative card will be dispensed from the machine. This card also comes with a note of gratitude from the chosen beneficiary on the back, as a token of appreciation from both the Co. and the corresponding SSA, and to help those who make a donation to celebrate and remember what their support means for underserved communities.
Supporting The Giving Machine and Its Beneficiaries
The physical Giving Machine will run till 28 January 2022 and the virtual Giving Machine via Giving.sg will run till 31 January 2022.
To make a donation via the physical Giving Machine, head on down to the Co. at 99 Duxton Road, Singapore 089543. Everyone is free to interact with The Giving Machine, our friendly Co.mmunity team members on the second floor will be available to provide any assistance or clarification.
To make a donation via our virtual Giving Machine, head on over to the webpage at www.jointhe.co/giving-machine. After clicking on the chosen cause and being redirected to the relevant Giving.sg page, a donation of the desired amount can be made. Thereafter, you may choose to collect your commemorative thank you card from our space at 99 Duxton Road, #02-00, Singapore 089543.
For all donations of any amount via the physical or virtual Giving Machine, the Co. is happy to receive those who have made a donation and offer a cup of coffee or tea, on the house.
Let’s be the community that we want to have and incite real positive change for real people who are an integral part of our community. #JoinTheCo #Co_mmunity