PUBLISHED ONJune 20, 2024 4:36 AMByKhoo Yi-HangThis soup kitchen has found themselves in the soup - but not literally.
Krsna's Free Meals, a soup kitchen in Little India, has asked volunteers to honour their commitments after multiple groups have cancelled on them without letting them know in advance, the kitchen revealed in a video uploaded to TikTok on Wednesday (June 19).
According to their website, Krsna's Free Meals is a soup kitchen in Singapore run by volunteers, cooking up free breakfast and lunch daily for those in need.
Highlighting a trend, the kitchen said in their video that there are many volunteers who sign up with them as a group, but then one of the group's member decides they can't attend.
When that happens, the whole group then gets cold feet and bails on the voluntary work, leaving the kitchen at a loss for that day.
"Nobody tells us," the video continued to say. "We're at the kitchen in the morning expecting a whole crew, but nobody's there."
The kitchen added: "The problem is worse when friends sign up together. If one friend has to cancel, the whole group often doesn't come without telling us."
@krsnasfreemeal We cannot serve meals without our wonderful volunteers but we are noticing a disturbing trend - many people sign up and then don’t come without canceling in advance. The problem is worse when friends sign up together. If one friend has to cancel, the whole group often doesnt come without telling us. So guys - please let us know if you will not be coming! 2500 meal recipients - and we - depend on you! #volunteer #soupkitchen #fyp #krsnasfreemeals #vegetarian #migrantworkers #community #singapore #showup ♬ original sound - Krsna’s Free Meals
This is more than just irritating for kitchen staff, as they revealed in the comments section of their video.
"We are paralysed and unable to work properly when we don't have volunteers," the kitchen added. "They are what makes our kitchen run."
Sympathising with the kitchen, some netizens offered solutions to their plight.
Some suggested the kitchen take punitive action, blacklisting or shaming the volunteers, which the kitchen was hesitant to do.
"That’s a thought but we always need volunteers," the kitchen replied.
Others also suggested making the impacts of their cancellations more obvious to them: "When they sign up, let them know. Volunteering doesn't mean you can just not turn up. These are responsibilities."
Another commented: "They probably did not understand the seriousness [of voluntary work]. Hopefully after this message (the TikTok video), they'll realise."
Upon learning of their predicament, some users have also expressed interest in joining the kitchen's voluntary work, asking how they can contribute.
Speaking with AsiaOne, Latha Govindasamy - one of the co-founders of Krsna's Free Meals - shared that they require 20 people a day to go about operations, at least 15 of which are usually volunteers.
Since January this year, volunteers have begun to cancel on them at least three times a week, and up to eight have cancelled at a time. Some common reasons are that they've gotten the flu or Covid-19, said Latha.
When that happens, they have to scramble to activate back-up volunteers and the founders themselves may even have to cut the vegetables and cook dishes.
"For breakfast we need to pack 2,000 packets between 5.30am to 8.30am and when volunteers don't turn up, we need to pack very quickly so as not to delay the beneficiaries who come to pick up the food," she said.
Despite the difficulties she faces, this hardship is not without reward - Latha also told AsiaOne that being in this line of work and helping beneficiaries is "meaningful and humbling".
"[Volunteering] shows that Singaporeans care about the destitute, neglected, downtrodden and those out of luck," she added.
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khooyihang@asiaone.com
