Paying it forward with kindness

The inception of Pop-up Grocery

During one of her volunteering stints, she sent an elderly lady home and came across stacks of rice packs in a corner of her home. That’s when Ms Azlina learned of the lady’s dilemma – she didn’t have anyone to share the donated food items with, but didn’t want to reject the items given to her.
 
And the elderly lady wasn’t the only one who faced this problem. Upon interacting with the neighbours, Ms Azlina found out that they all shared this common dilemma of not knowing what to do with the unused rations. 
 
That’s when the idea of a pop-up grocer popped into Ms Azlina’s mind.
 
Convenience at the void deck

The initiative received positive responses from the residents who appreciated the convenience of a free pop-up grocer located near their homes. They could take what they needed and bless their excess food items to others.
 
“Besides the usual staples and dry rations, we also have healthier options such as vegetables and fruits,” shared Ms Azlina.

 
The pop-up became a monthly affair and the word spread, with more people learning about the initiative. Some even joined as volunteers where they helped organise food drives to collect donated groceries.

Supportive community

But with any huge project, it wasn’t an easy feat for the team. When the first pop-up came to life, they realised that some high-demand items were limited, and they needed to set up a registration process to put a limit to the number of items residents could take.  They also had limited storage space to store the donated food items.
 
But thanks to the overwhelming positive response, the team received various forms of help along the way from others.
 
“We’ve reached out to more organisations and like-minded people to share about the initiative and seek their support,” Ms Azlina shared.