Food from the Heart: Delivering Leftover Bread in Singapore

Mabel Chou Keng Leong Lee Chung Piaw Teo Huan Zheng National University of Singapore
Bakeries and needy individuals in Singapore have benefited from a food distribution program, Food from the Heart, which ensures that unsold bread and pastries previously thrown away by bakeries go instead to the less fortunate. This innovative program has been receiving overwhelming support from volunteers, bakeries, corporate sponsors, the media and above all, recognition from the public in Singapore. This voluntary organization aims to achieve 100% participation from the various bread companies, concurrently achieving an island-wide coverage for bread collection and delivery. These daily missions are carried out by volunteers who use their private cars or public transport for delivery to the supported welfare homes. In the future, the program also aspires to become a food distribution platform for the needy in Singapore, moving beyond bread and pastry donations.

I.

Program background

The Food from the Heart Program was initiated by Henry and Christine Laimer, a couple from Vienna who have been in Singapore for 6 years. They were keen to start a meaningful charity project in Singapore, and news reports on bakeries throwing away unsold bread1 provided the inspiration for the Food from the Heart program. Since November 2002, Christine has managed to persuade bakery chains Prima Deli, Four Leaves, NTUC, Bakerys Corner, Sunshine, Delifrance, Hieotaud (Swiss Gourmet bakery), and Blossoms Cake House to donate their unsold products. With strong media support, Christine had also been able to recruit more than 900 volunteers. These volunteers will take turns to make the collections and deliveries along 114 routes nightly, either using their own cars or public transport. The couples sound business plan and experience in the logistics field provided adequate credibility for other corporate sponsors to be forthcoming for the program. Fujitsu Asia provided the anchor for administering the delivery system while other firms like ACRS Automobile Centre and Omega Fusion assisted in cash or kind. The program also depended on the kind support from national organizations like the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) and the National Volunteer Centre (NVC) for guidance. The program officially launched on 8th of February 2003 and benefited 26 welfare homes on the initial phase. Volunteers have been very enthusiastic about playing their part and their efforts will save at least an estimated 3000 kg of bread from being thrown away every week. (As
The Sunday Times in November 24, 2002 quoted that large quantities of unsold bread are dumped by bakeries daily
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of May 2003) It is now a distribution system that delivers food to 5800 beneficiaries along 108 routes matched by the program.

Figure: Groups of Bakeries and Homes in the eastern part of the country, supported by the program.

II.

The beneficiaries

Induction The program delivers the buns to welfare organizations such as nursing homes, childrens homes, homes for the aged and halfway houses for drug addicts. This list also includes day care centers as well as Senior Activity Centers (SAC) which are set up at the void decks of 1 to 3 room HDB flats. Currently, the charity delivers food to 68 such homes and has another 83 on the waiting list. A checklist is used to determine the most suitable beneficiary for the program. Considerations include the financial condition and the typical requirements of the institution. The institution is also inquired on whether they have a fridge for overnight storage, an oven for reheating, and if there are any specific dietary requirements (halal, vegetarian etc). For now, the bread donations go a long way to feed 314 residents and 130 live-in staff at Ju Eng Home. Its nursing director, Mrs Jessie Tan, said: We can save $6000 a year because we no longer need to buy bread. That means a lot to us and we hope people will continue to support this well-run program. On another instance, the Muhammadiyah Health and day care centre for senior citizens in Eunos said the bread deliveries can save each of its 70 poor elderly $1 per day. Home coordinators Once a home has become a regular recipient, it will have frequent contact with the organizations home coordinators. These volunteers make visits and keep in touch with the

recipients to gather feedback. They are there to understand the homes changing need and requirement. It is equally important to maintain a good relationship with the homes administration in order to sustain the program. Student bodies active in community service are presently being approached to assist as home coordinators. By having various avenues for feedback, the FFTH program should be able to better match the consumption pattern of the beneficiaries. The program is also currently approaching the NUS Social work department for possible partnership. The beneficiaries are required to sign a letter of indemnity, accepting that the food products involved are generally edible and safe for consumption even though they are earmarked for destruction. This letter will also hold the beneficiary against using the donated leftover bread for any unintended purposes. An additional clause allows the donors authorized staff to visit the beneficiary premises and to view the storage condition, including the way the leftover bread was consumed. Self Collection Centers In the month of May 2003, FFTH has also started a pilot self-collection program, where bread is distributed to needy families at collection points in housing estates. Working closely with the residents committees (RCs), bread is handed out to 40 families in the Henderson estate 3 times a week between 8 pm and 9 pm. This initiative will extend the existing reach of the program to the needy that are not housed in welfare homes. Since the success of the pilot, self collection centers are now also set up in Marine Parade, Kings george Avenue, Jalan Besar, Redhill and Pasir Ris (In collaboration with the various RCs). These beneficiaries include the elderly staying in 1 room flats, the unemployed and poor families finding difficulty in affording a proper meal.

III.

Strong support for the program

The bakeries
Back in November 2002, a press release quoted that large quantities of unsold bread are dumped by bakeries daily. Four Leaves, Prima Deli and other bakeries said their brands were known for freshness and giving leftovers to charity could be complicated.2 Madam Agnes Tan, a supervisor at the Hariprasad Childcare centre, which has 28 children from low-income families, said, The bakeries are now more willing to donate their unsold items because this is an organized effort.3 This point is evidently true, judging from the enthusiasm of several reputable bakery chains with this program in place. Four Leaves general manager Mr David Tan said: Our staff doesnt mind staying back for a short while after work to count and hand the bread to the volunteers. Im very touched by Mrs Laimers sincerity.

2 3

The Sunday Times in November 24, 2002, Junked food Source from The Sunday Times, March 9, 2003. Mmm yummy roti

The sound management of the program assures the bakeries that the leftover bread will not be resold or manipulated. This is the main reason why similar efforts in the past have not been able to take off. By supporting this program, the bakeries will also have access to consolidated leftover bread data in their own outlets. This set of data is consolidated on a daily basis and its accuracy should allow the bakeries to plan and forecast their production better in future. In this light, it can be a win-win situation for the bakeries too. The business plan also addresses the bakeries worry that they may be held legally responsible if someone gets ill from eating their leftovers. According to Christine, weve talked through all the legal and operational issues and they (bakeries) have been accommodating. This is especially when they realized that we see things from a professional point of view, not an emotional one. Muslim homes can also benefit from this program as there are halal bakeries in the donors list. Specific arrangements are made to collect from such bakeries and to deliver to the Muslim homes. The volunteer group Food from the Heart has 1,000 registered volunteers already, and this figure is still on the rise. The volunteers visit various branches of participating bakeries to collect leftover buns that were not sold during the day. We have microbiologists, engineers, housewives, law professors and retirees all wanting to chip in, in any way they can, quoted Christine. The volunteers carrying out the daily deliveries form the main pillar of the food distribution program. Volunteers can choose their level of commitment and involvement in the program. With a large pool of forthcoming Singaporeans, the flexibility of aiding the program on a rotational basis has also become possible. At the same time, these people are willing to bear with the incidental costs like petrol and SMS fees. The volunteer group is also strengthened by the inclusion of taxi drivers from the CityCab organization. These 50 CityCab drivers will either deliver the bread, or ferry volunteers who dont drive, to the delivery points. They expect to deliver an estimated 145 kg of bread and buns each week from Sunshine Bakeries and Delifrance. The drivers will be rostered so that their earnings would not be affected. A team leader will plan the timings for the pick-up and delivery so that they coincide with off-peak hours. Volunteer motivation It is an interesting research topic itself to understand why the FFTH program has been endowed with a vibrant and expanding volunteer pool, whilst some other organizations are struggling to maintain volunteer passion in their activities. One possible reason might be the uniqueness of the volunteer activities within FFTH. Conventionally, community service has revolved around visiting welfare homes and taking part in fund raising activities. In FFTH, volunteers are tasked to perform collection/delivery duties, knowing at the same time that they are saving valuable food. Hence the enormous value of the program to the society has tremendous appeal to volunteers. Second, the commitment from volunteers is flexible and unimposing. With a large pool of volunteers from the FFTH program, there is sufficient coverage for those who might have

reasons not to fulfill their deliveries. Sometimes volunteers join the program in cliques, and they find it a means to strengthen the friendship amongst them. An example will be a group of friends, formerly classmates from Raffles Junior College, who are covering fully the duties of a particular delivery route. Adding on to this point, volunteerism in FFTH is not on a contractual basis and is fully driven by the passion these Singaporeans have for the program. It is a relatively clean form of community service and not that much emotion is involved. Some volunteers for example get depressed when they visit old folks homes, especially when they come to understand their problems and are helpless with them. Third, there are small incidents in the program that give volunteers a deep sense of appreciation. Some volunteers are addressed as the bread ladies by children in welfare homes. They are also rewarded with a warm smile every time they make the deliveries. These small gifts or intangibles make volunteerism a very memorable affair indeed.

The government associated bodies The program is actively supported by various government associated bodies. The Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) has been actively supporting the program by brainstorming in the program development and providing office space within their premises for the 1st 3 months. The CDC has also extended help in connecting the program to the various senior citizens homes island-wide. The National Volunteer Centre (NVC) shared their experiences with managing volunteers, providing access to their own volunteers database and provided the Volunteer Initiative Grant (VIG) to cover start-up costs. FFTH has also turned to the National Environmental Agency (NEA) for possible government grant. On an innovative perspective, this program is actually a food waste management initiative and it can possibly improve environmental hygiene too. FFTH is now working closely with the Resource conservation department of NEA and hopes to qualify for the 3P Partnership Grant4.

IV.

Operational Management in Food From The Heart

The Food from the Heart program handled more than 3,400 kg of leftover bakery goods in its first 3 weeks. In the first phase, about 120 volunteers fan out to collect cartons of bread from 34 bakeries and deliver them to 26 welfare homes. To date, the program takes 3 fulltime staff to manage the large pool of volunteers, track deliveries and sign on more bakeries. There are also about 7 volunteers coming regularly to office to assist in administrative matters. The collection and delivery of bread must be done on the same night. The welfare homes should have a fridge to store baked goods and will be told specifically to consume them the next day. The program has kicked off in various parts of Singapore, including Bishan, Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Tanjong Pagar, Potong Pasir and Jalan Besar.

The 3P Partnership Fund aims to facilitate the implementation of 3P partnership efforts between NEA and members of the people, Private and Public(3P) sectors to achieve a sustainable, quality environment in Singapore.

According to Christines calculations, the program costs about $16,000 a month5 to run and it is funded currently from her own resources. The operating expenses cover the salaries of 3 full-time administrative staff, rental of an office and meeting room at Goldhill Centre in Thomson Road. This estimation also covers other office expenses like phone bills, internet connection fees, SMS service, and copier machine rental. The Delivery Monitoring System The program runs on a delivery monitoring system called Food-Trek tailor made by Fujitsu Asia. Such an operation of this scale requires a robust logistics system to process data and information, which is where Fujitsu Asia steps in using its Mobile ASP (Application Service Provider) Operation platform to coordinate the delivery operations. Utilizing Food-Trek, each acknowledgement of a delivery/collection via an SMS (Short Message Service) by the volunteer will go to the server and be converted into a database. This system provides the management with operational visibility and the information to improve the existing distribution network. It also tracks and ensures that all bread and pastries reaching their destination could be promptly and properly accounted for, with time-consuming paperwork kept to a minimum. Said Mr Victor Yue, Director, Fujitsu Mobile Solutions Center, Without a mobile tracking system, it will be a mammoth task for the Food from the Heart to coordinate and track the delivery of the bread and the pastries to the homes all over Singapore. Fujitsu Asia is most happy and honored to be able to participate in this program by providing our system for this worthwhile charity cause. Delivery Orders (DO) In addition, the participating bakery outlets are required to issue a delivery order (DO), stating the quantity donated. The DO will be brought together with the bread to the home. The homes and the SACs will be required to keep these receipts and the home coordinators will collect them during their visits. The DOs will allow the organization to issue a statement of total weight (in kilograms) of bread delivered per month. The hand-written DOs will be checked against the electronic log book at the end of the month. Spot checks will also be conducted throughout the month. These steps will ensure that the leftover bread are delivered to the needed and are not abused or resold. The Routing Coordination Process The routing schedules are expanded in phases. All in all, the program runs on 114 routes, supported by volunteers on a consistent routine (As of May 2003). The routing is implemented as below:

Phase A B C
5

No of routes 30 11 24

Implementation Date 080203 120303 200303

Participating outlet FL (14), PD (11), BL (5) NTUC (11) DF (5), PD (3), FL (2), SS

Volunteers* 152 46 82

Please refer to appendix: Breakdown of operational Costs

D E F G H

10 4 4 7 12

270303 180403 230403 300403 140503

DF (7), FL (2) PD (3), BC (1) DF (4) DF (7) SS2 (2), DF (10)

57 13 21 42 30

*Volunteer requirement is only estimation. **Data as of 26th May 2003 FL= Four Leaves, PD = Prima Deli, BL = Blossom Ville, SS = Sun Shine, BC = Bakerys culture SS2 = Sandwich Shop

Collection timings differ but they are mostly in the space of 8 pm to 10.15pm in the evenings. This is so because bread outlets close at these times. However, there are some morning collection timings at 8 am too. These morning collections are only possible if the bakeries have storage facilities available to house the unsold bread. Volunteers will use these morning donations to support various day-care centers and SACs island-wide. The staff at FFTH reacts to instances when volunteers are not able to fulfill their delivery responsibility. FFTH has to instantly find a volunteer replacement and provide cover for the route on the spot. This is invariably a problem in terms of operational reliability but the huge pool of volunteers now makes up for volunteer inconsistency. Performance Measurement To achieve maximal utility of the unsold bread, FFTH must try to match the consumption level of homes against the quantities of unsold bread available. The level of consumption in the various welfare homes is often stable and can be anticipated by using the homes residential level. For the unsold bread however, FFTH will have to utilize its database to anticipate the best probable match. The routing coordination system is still being refined but the main criterion used now is not to have an oversupply to homes. This will lead to wastage again, and it should be noted that the homes are tolerable to small undersupply. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the supply quantities fluctuates over the weeks and cannot be predicted (See figure for an illustration).

Other bakery/home assignment criteria include the relative proximity, the dietary requirements of the homes and the financial condition of the homes. If a certain home is found to need the support of the program more pressingly than the others, the staff in FFTH will prioritize

such assignment cases. The figure below shows an assignment that was in used in the eastern part of the country. The numbers on both sides show the average supply and demand quantities.

The problem of assignment is often cushioned because volunteers are willing to go the extra mile to make the collections and deliveries. Volunteers are willing to revise their collection/ delivery paths and some of them are even willing to cover a few routes within a day. By consistently checking against the DOs with the data collation from the Food Trek system, the FFTH program is offering something which other similar initiatives could not provide in the past: the element of accountability to the donors. Some bakeries have had bad experiences with donations before. There were instances when a few homes abused the donations by doing private re-selling. This certainly would have affected the bakeries business and reputation to the public. Because of such reasons, it is often a more sound business decision for the bakeries to dispose the bread than to donate them. The FFTH program presents itself as an initiative that is credible. Accountability and management of the program is centered at the organization, convincing donors that FFTH is a reliable and trustworthy partner. The scalability of the program has not undermined the integrity of the delivery system simply because of the performance measurements in place. Hence in sum, the issue of performance measurement is not only restricted to achieving maximal utility from the collected bread, but also addresses the management and accountability of the donations for the less fortunate. Volunteer Responsibility In order to prevent unauthorized collections, volunteers are issued ID tags which carry their names, photos and IC numbers. They will also wear vests with the programs logo for easier identification. Volunteers and coordinators need to put up car decals carrying the slogan On a mission to save food to identify their vehicles. Each volunteer will also carry with them an emergency packet containing plastic gloves, in case there is a need to handle the bread. It is important to ensure that the food is not contaminated during the process of delivery. The delivery of the bread must also be done on the same day of collection to ensure freshness. These bread donations should also be packed, ready for delivery and transport.

In the event that the volunteer collects a very small amount of unsold bread, the program will still require the delivery to be made to the designated homes. All homes recognize that this is a donation and that quantities might fluctuate. The daily collection routine is something that that distinguishes the organization from other schemes. A group leader is appointed for each district or zone and this volunteer will assist in dealing with contingencies. There might be instances when volunteers need to travel from time to time. Hence the group leader will need to schedule replacements for such volunteers who cannot cover their designated delivery routes. Some volunteers also take up roles as home coordinators to ensure that the objective of the program is met and that the welfare homes are comfortable with the service. The DOs are also collated by these home coordinators sometimes and passed on to the organizations head office. Volunteers involved in FFTH are required to endorse on a letter of undertaking. This letter will require volunteers to treat all information provided and knowledge of unsold bread as confidential. Information and the source of information to any third party should not be disclosed too without the organizations prior written consent. Volunteers are willing to put their names on this declaration form because they understand that unauthorized disclosed information might jeopardize the success and sustainability of the program to help the less fortunate. FFTH hopes that volunteers will be at least committed for 3 months to the program. It will be preferable for the volunteers to stay in the program for about a year.

V.

Future Outlook

Christine has set the organizations strategic intent to be a local food distribution platform for the less fortunate. She is currently approaching the Singapore Food Manufacturers Association and intends to gather valuable input and support from its 250 members. By having a well-coordinated distribution mechanism in place, donations can very well move beyond unsold bread. Already, Fraser and Neave is contributing some 250 cartons of small and big packs of chocolate milk monthly for childrens home 6 and FFTH is appealing for donations of canned food now. Besides food that is close to expiry, she is also hoping to get donations like test batches or even cans that are dented but whose contents remain safe from consumption. Another very important problem Christine faces is the unnecessary food wastage in the current system. The current dedicated one-bakery-one-home routing system would lead to the mismatch between the random supplies from bakeries and constant demands of homes. The unnecessary food wastage is not only contrary to the target of the food-saving program but also causes many problems. Firstly, the donors are unhappy with this, because they want FFTH to effectively utilize the donated foods and distribute them to needy people. Secondly, the fluctuation in the supply makes life harder for to plan for food purchase as supplement to the donated food. Thirdly, unnecessary supplies to the homes will only depress the morale of the volunteers and donors.
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Quoted from Streats, May 28th 2003. Shes got the can-do spirit

Realizing that these problems are caused by the dedicated delivery system, Christine wants to find out an effective way to improve the current delivery system. After a thorough discussion with team members, she has managed to list a few options for solving the problem. 1) To build up a self-collection hub. Instead of sending the bakeries to homes directly, foods collected from bakeries are sent to the hub first by volunteers. The foods will be stored in the hub for a short time and then be distributed to homes based on the collections. 2) To develop a full flexible routing system. In the full flexible routing system, the food from a bakery could be sent to any single home in the FFTH program. A volunteer need to SMS the system coordinator the amount of leftover food at the bakery he/she visits. The coordinator will then optimally determine the destination and SMS it back to the volunteer for delivery. More volunteers will be assigned to do the delivery if the number of routes used is too large under this system. 3) To construct a partial flexible routing system. In the partial flexible routing system, the food from a bakery could only be sent to a few, say two, optional homes, instead of any home as the full flexible routing system. The delivery operations are similar to full flexible routing system, except that the number of routes used is much smaller than the full flexibility system. Christine wants to know the pros and cons of each option. She is also very interested in the last option because it can be easily adopted by the current routing system. She plans to link each bakery with one more optional home, based on the current dedicated routing system, but she has no idea how to link the bakeries and homes. She hopes to figure out a method to find a system with the least food wastage.

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Appendix: The News Article That Started Everything

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Appendix: Frequently Asked Questions on SMS System

Q. What if I forget the SMS format? A. FFTH will provide all volunteers with a simple step-by-step guide to enter the SMS on the back of a pocket/credit-card sized FFTH identity card. Please contact the FFTH hotline for further assistance if required. Q. What if I forget to send in the SMS ? A. The system relies solely on the SMS to track the delivery of the food. Therefore it is of utmost importance that the SMS is sent, no matter how late. If you are not sure if you have sent the SMS, or you have made a mistake, please contact the FFTH Hotline. Q. My handphone battery is flat. Can I use my spouse/friends handphone to send the SMS ? A. The system recognizes the mobile number from which the SMS is sent from. It must come from a registered volunteers handphone. This is a simple security mechanism to prevent unwanted SMS. An alternative will be to insert your SIM card into the other handphone to send the SMS. Under the worst scenario, charge the handphone battery and send in the SMS later. Q. I realize that I have made a mistake in the SMS that was just sent out. How can I make corrections? A. There are 2 options. The first will be to send in another SMS. The latest SMS will overwrite the older SMS. The second option (preferred) is to call the FFTH hotline and inform the coordinator. The coordinator will note down your information and make the necessary corrections. Q. How much do I pay for each SMS ? A. You will be charged based on your subscription plan that you have with your mobile operator. No additional cost will be charged or levied from the system. Based on the current rates published by the operator, once your subscription plan quota has been exceeded, each SMS sent out will cost 5.2. Q. I will be changing my handphone and my number soon. Do I need to inform FFTH? A. Yes. FFTH will need to update your handphone number so that when you use the new handphone to send the SMS, it will be able to recognize and accept it. Q. I have a WAP/GPRS enabled handphone. Can I use the information using WAP? A. The FFTH Delivery Monitoring System is currently SMS-based. But there are plans to provide a WAP version for the delivery information to be submitted. For WAP/GPRS fans, the WAP version is just around the corner. Q. I am using a pre-paid SIM card. Can I use it to send in the SMS ? A. Yes, as long as the number is registered with the system under your name, you can use it. Q. How many SMS do I need to send out for each delivery ? A. You will be sending a SMS when you collect the food from the bakery. Then you will send another SMS when you have delivered the food to the home. Therefore, you will be sending out 2 SMS per delivery.

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Appendix: Timeline of Organization

November 28, 2002 Report in ST that unsold bread and pastries were being dumped by many bakeries, Christine and Henry Laimer came forward with the idea to redirect those quantities to the less fortunate. With the help of Straits Times and Gold 90 FM, a call for volunteers was started and the reaction was overwhelming. Collaboration with CDCCS and NVC was formed. First meeting with volunteers was held at the volunteer hub of CDC at Toa Payoh Donation of chocolate drinks by Fraser and Neave Foods Singapore was delivered to 5 homes before actual program is launched. 40 identified homes were visited by a core team of our volunteers and a priority lists were drawn. Operational and legal issues were straightened. A routing plan was established based on confirmed homes and participating homes and bakeries, creating 28 individual routes. All registered volunteers were invited for a meeting, with the objective to distribute the 28 established collection/ delivery routes. Fujitsu Asia agrees to set up and sponsor a tailor made Delivery monitoring system called Food trek. Distribution of Ang Paos to 9 Childrens home/ 650 recipients. Training of volunteers Date of first run. Program kicks off. Organization records 800 registered volunteers Relocation to permanent office at Goldhill Centre, Thomson Road. Pilot for Self Collection Center

December 2002

December 18, 2002

December 24, 2002

January 2003

January 13, 2003

January 15, 2003

January 17, 2003

February 5, 2003 February 6, 2003 February 8, 2003 March 31, 2003 May, 2003 June, 2003

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Appendix: Breakdown of operational Costs

Item Description Office Rental (1400 sf in Goldhill Plaza, Thomson Road) Office cum meeting room Salary for 3 permanent staff incl. CPF Telephone, Internet, Handphone charges Mass SMS software, utilities in office Petty Cash expenses (cab fare, stationary Refreshments for volunteers, etc) Print Material (Delivery notes, namecards) Total Cost Budget for unplanned cost Total operational costs per year Cost/ Month $2600 Cost/ Year X12, $31,200

$9000 $3450

X13, $117,000 X12, $41,400

$1000

X12, $12,000

$500 $16550

X12, $6,000

$12,400 $220,000

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