This made my day: Durian vendor in Yishun treats elderly to $30k worth of fruits

While durian season is here, not everyone has the luxury of indulging in the king of fruits as it can be rather pricey. 

Well, one durian vendor has decided to give away some of his fruits to those who can't afford it, some $30,000 worth in fact. 

The owner of Famous Durian over at Yishun said that they will be distributing the fruits to those aged 55 years and above, according to a post on their Facebook page. 

Their promotion will run from June 12 to June 15 and will be available from 8pm. Each person is eligible to two durians and there will be 550 kg of durians available each day. 

"First come first serve basis! Will have to queue up properly as well as not to block the footpath," wrote the post. 

On the first day of the promotion (June 12), the stall, located at Blk 848 Yishun Street 81 saw snaking long queues that stretched along the pathway of the HDB block. 

In an interview with 8world, the stall's owner, Anthony Gan, said this is the second year he has organised this initiative.

Despite the increase in durian prices this year compared to last year, Gan shared that he still wanted to do this so he could let the elderly enjoy the fruit without worrying about the cost. 

Gan also revealed that he gives away around 800 durians every session, with the average price of each fruit ranging from $5 to $10. 

These include varieties like Red Prawn, D13 and D27. 

A durian wholesaler also chipped in to sponsor 100 kg of fruits a day, he said, while another long-term customer sponsored 50 kg of fruits a day. 

"I am very grateful to them," Gan told 8world. 

One 62-year-old customer surnamed Hong said: "The price of food has increased, and everything is expensive. It's hard to even pay for three meals a day, how can I expect to have durian? Now that there are free durians, I'm very grateful to the boss."

Another 87-year-old woman surnamed Jin said she has not eaten durians in a year because of the high prices. 

"I really want to eat durians but it is very expensive. So, I haven't eaten the fruit for many years," she said. 

Scam victim offered $5,400 worth of durians 

In a separate incident in May, a woman was cheated of her life savings after trying to buy durians online, leaving her traumatised. 

Wanting the woman to regain her love for the fruit, one vendor decided to give this victim $5,400 worth of durians. 

"Xu said that because of this incident, she no longer wants to eat durians. So I want to help provide her with durians, let her fall in love with durians again, and continue to eat the durians she likes," the vendor said. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com