No students claim free breakfast, but Jalan Besar coffee shop refuses to give up

A coffee shop in Jalan Besar has no plans to cancel its offer of free daily breakfast for students, despite a lukewarm response since its launch last November. 

Taking to Facebook on March 11, Jeremy See shared a photo of a poster at Yi He Eating House announcing 10 breakfast sets daily for those "in school uniform who need a little helping hand". 

The offer, available from 6am to 11am, promises a "just show up, no questions asked" policy for students looking for a free meal before classes. 

"Don't go to school hungry. We welcome you to have breakfast on us at this humble coffee shop," said Yi He Eating House in their poster, which is displayed in a centre pillar at the coffee shop. "A little gesture to brighten up your day."

See's Facebook post has since garnered over 20 comments and over 490 likes, with several netizens praising the coffee shop for their generosity and kindness.

When asked about the scheme, Yi He Eating House told AsiaOne on Tuesday (March 18) that the free breakfast set is two slices of bread originally priced at $1.60. 

The coffee shop's manager, who gave her name as Xu, said that have been no takers so far.

Is the lack of interest due to needy students living in the vicinity being too shy to queue up for free breakfast? 

"I don't know what's the reason. The poster has been there since we started offering free breakfast in November last year", said Xu, who declined to give her name.

She added that the coffee shop owner has no plans to discontinue the scheme. 

Meanwhile, several students living in Jalan Besar said that they were not aware of the neighbourhood coffee shop's free breakfast offer. 

Two of them from Farrer Park Primary School told AsiaOne that while they live a walking distance from Yi He Eating House, they will not be taking up the free breakfast there anytime soon.

“Our parents usually prepare breakfast for us before school,” said the students, who declined to give their names. “We will let our friends and classmates know about it. It's a good thing when more people can benefit from this." 

Students from lower-income households currently receive subsidies to school meals under the Ministry of Education (MOE) Financial Assistance Scheme. 

Those studying in primary schools receive $2.60 per meal for seven meals per school week, while subsidies for students from secondary schools are $3.50 per meal for 10 meals per school week. 

The financial assistance scheme also helps to defray the cost of other basic schooling expenses for students, such as textbooks and public transport fare. 

About 44,000 students benefit from the scheme, according to MOE in 2023. 

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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