Potluck for migrant workers draws overwhelming support from sponsors
It took a core team of 35 volunteers and about a month to organise what social advocate Dipa Swaminathan described as a “100 per cent community-driven” potluck for migrant workers in Singapore.
The event, to be held at Terusan Recreation Centre on Sunday (24 June) from 4pm to 7pm, is expected to be attended by about 5,000 migrant workers, said Dipa, 46, founder of Itsrainingraincoats, an initiative set up in 2015 to distribute items like raincoats and unsold food to these workers.
The inaugural potluck organised by the initiative will be graced by Guest-of-Honour, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information as well as Culture, Community and Youth Sim Ann.
Dipa, who is also a lawyer, explained that the potluck is a way to show appreciation for migrant workers and help “remove some prejudices and biases” about interacting closely with them.
“I get asked a lot of times if it’s okay to cook food and share with the foreign workers. And I always say, ‘Yes, of course, it is. They are just people. Would you cook food and invite your friends over? Why not them?’,” said the Singapore permanent resident, who has been living in the country for 23 years.
She has been overwhelmed by the help she has received from the community, with over 300 individuals, organisations and restaurants involved in the potluck, which she estimated to cost over $15,000. The venue is provided for free by JTC Corporation.
Some supporters have taken to bringing home-cooked local dishes, like fried rice and chicken rice, while other forms of sponsor include an ice-cream cart, a live prata station, a photo booth and 75 tables.
F&B brands like Pizza Hut Singapore will be sponsoring 100 large pan pizzas while Starbucks Singapore will be donating 400 food items.
“We like the work Dipa and her organisation are doing to help migrant workers, who are a key pillar in our nation-building. It fits well with Pizza Hut’s commitment to corporate social responsibility,” said Padmanabhan “Paddy” Rangappa, 56, General Manager, Pizza Hut Singapore.
Gelato cafe Butterknife Folk will be donating up to to 20 large boxes of assorted pastries, including baked fruit tarts, pecan pies and choux puffs.
“We want to show our appreciation to the unsung heroes who have built up our nation and contributed to our development, brick by brick. Their work is often taken for granted and this little that we do is just our way of saying thanks,” said the cafe owner Ingrid Lim, 31.
Apart from food, there will be activities such as singing and tug-of-war contests, chaired by student volunteers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Raffles Girls’ School and United World College.
A booth will also be set up to allow the workers to bring home second-hand items donated by members of the public, including bicycles, men’s apparel, umbrellas and sunglasses.
The huge outpouring of support from the community has also “motivated” Dipa to consider making the inaugural potluck an annual event.
“I did not expect it to be this huge. I am really touched…We live in such a lovely community that whatever help I ask for, I get it. Sometimes I wonder if I am dreaming,” she quipped.
If you are interested in volunteering for this Sunday’s potluck event organised by itsrainingraincoats, you can leave a message on their Facebook page here.
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