The annual Tzu Chi Festive Eco Charity Fair is held once again at MPC@Khatib. (Photo by Fong Kwai Kin)
This year’s Chinese New Year happened very early in late January, and the annual Tzu Chi Festive Eco Charity Fair was once again held at MPC@Khatib on the 4th and 5th of January, 2025.
The volunteers arrived early in the morning on the first day of the fair. They proceeded to their respective stations and started preparing eagerly for the event. Before the start of the event, all the volunteers put aside their work and gathered to pray sincerely for the purification of people's hearts, harmonious society, and a year without disasters, as well as to pray for a smooth and successful fair.
The event VIP, a former Member of Parliament, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (front row, second from the right), accompanied by Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore)’s Chief Executive Director Mr Low Swee Seh (front row, third from the right), unveiled the ceremony through a gong ceremony. At the front row, first from the right is Dr Ting Chen-yuan, Representative of Taipei Representative Office in Singapore. (Photo by Bong Kian Hin)
With the sounding of gongs and drums by the Tzu Chi Drum Team and the vibrant and energetic performance of the Lion Dance Troupe, the charity fair was officially inaugurated. The distinguished guests, former Member of Parliament Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and Dr Tung Chen-yuan, Representative of Taipei Representative Office in Singapore, accompanied by Mr Low Swee Seh, Managing Director of Tzu Chi Merit Organization (Singapore), sounded the ceremonial gong to kick off the charity fair.
In addition to the 38 vegetarian food stalls and 36 New Year goodies stalls, which have always been popular with the public, there were also New Year Flower stalls and Jing Si booths. Booths promoting Tzu Chi Education team, Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association (a.k.a. Tzu Ching) and bone marrow registry were also present at the fair to reach out to more participants. Adding flavour and atmosphere of culture and customs to the New Year were displays of handicrafts and Spring Festival couplets by the volunteers.
The fair, crowded with people, emanates the vibe of Chinese New Year and cultural atmosphere. (Photo by Lee Foo Mun)
Upholding the principle of purity from the source, volunteers implement environmental protection measures with attention to the smallest details
The annual Tzu Chi Festive Eco Charity Fair has always been steadfast with the concept of environmental protection, not using disposable packaging and tableware, and encouraging the public to bring their own eco-friendly bags to shop.
To further promote correct sorting of garbage, this year's stalls uniformly used transparent "angel environmental bags" and black "devil garbage bags" to sort different types of garbage. The "Happy New Year Pastries Stall” even requested customers to prepare additional eco-friendly bags, so that they could bring home the empty cans from tasting, to be cleaned and reused, so as to maximise environmental benefits.
There were also different recycling bins within the venue, including specific ones for black and white paper, coloured paper, plastic and general garbage, to encourage the public to throw their garbage responsibly while practicing environmental protection.
More than 100 volunteers participated in the fair's recycling work such as sorting recyclable materials. (Photo by Bong Kian Hin)
A total of 139 kilograms of food waste were collected from the food stalls last year. That prompted the organising committee to deliberate on the issue of food waste. Sin Yuen Fook, an Tzu Chi eco volunteer, said that this year, the team has stepped up publicity to encourage the public to cherish food, and at the same time, they asked the stallholders to pay attention to food portions in order to minimise waste.
On the first day, more than 100 volunteers took part in the environmental protection work, sending raw food waste such as fruit peels, coffee grounds and tea leaves to the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) for composting, cooked food waste to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for recycling, and other recyclables were sorted and handed over to recyclers.
Raw food waste such as fruit peels, coffee grounds and tea leaves are collected and sent for composting. (Photo by Chai Yu Leong)
Since 2024, Tzu Chi has been holding a special "Best Green Booth" competition during the charity fair to encourage stall owners and vendors to implement environmental protection measures. This year's award went to the "Home of Love" booth in the New Year Goodies Zone. This stall not only sorted their waste very systematically and accurately but also presented very creative ideas. They got their volunteers to collect, wash and dry the fruits plastic nets, and turn them into carriers for package sauces, successfully giving waste a new purpose.
The judging criteria for the Best Green Booth Award included the robustness of waste sorting, passion in recycling, orderliness and safety. The judging team also put efforts to discover the highlights of each stall, such as creative ways to reduce the use of disposable cutlery and containers.
Low Swee Seh, CEO of Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore) taking a group photo with the winning team of the Best Green Booth Award. (Photo by Chai Yu Leong)
Countless inspiring stories of compassionate individuals and their acts of kindness
The fair attracted hundreds of ardent volunteers who were enthusiastic about doing their best. Wearing their volunteer vests, they could be easily recognised at the dishwashing area, environmental protection area, New Year Goodies Zone, etc. Regardless of age and background, they were full of smiles, using their actions to expound the teaching "Those who can give are the most blessed", because while giving, the givers often benefit the most.
Koh Chwee Geok, 81, and Tan Ah Moi, 74, met at Tzu Chi SEEN (Seniors Engagement & Enabling Node) and subsequently participated in training to become volunteers. Although they used to live in the same HDB block, they had never met before, but affinity brought both together at Tzu Chi SEEN.
Koh Chwee Geok, who underwent spinal surgery more than a year ago, was initially reluctant to exercise at the Tzu Chi SEEN. However, with the encouragement of her doctor and family, she persisted and gradually noticed a marked improvement in both her physical and mental health. While Tan Ah Moi was encouraged by her daughter to participate in activities at the Tzu Chi SEEN, and she has since found a bright new world.
Koh Chwee Geok, 81, and Tan Ah Moi, 74, participated in the charity fair for the first time, selling vegetarian food. (Photo by Fong Kwai Kin)
At the invitation of the community leader, Koh Chwee Geok and Tan Ah Moi participated in the fair for the first time and sold vegetarian food. Their illiteracy did not hamper their enthusiasm. Both exclaimed in unison, "It's a pleasure to volunteer, I love to help in the kitchen, and we are very delighted to be able to help others."
Tan Mui Choo, a former salesperson, was also a volunteer at the fair for the first time. She was very enthusiastic in pitching her seaweed for sale as selling is a piece of cake for her. She remarked, "In the past, the money that I earned was limited, but now, what I gained as a volunteer is immeasurable."
She believes that it is better to spend her time on giving than associating with bad companies and creating bad karma. So, whenever she is free, she will volunteer, and every time, she feels heartfelt joy.
Despite bustling with people, no disposable tableware is provided at the fair and the organisers preferred to rely on manual washing of the dishes to protect the environment. (Photo by Pua Poo Toong)
Students in Tzu Chi Education Team contributed together
Muzaheed (not his real name) is a 17-year-old student and a recipient of the Seeds of Hope Merit Award, gave up his rest day to volunteer at the fair. He admitted that although he has participated in volunteer activities at school, this was the first time he has voluntarily offered to join. He said: "Here I learn to be environmentally friendly, learn to be a kind person and help others. This feeling of happiness is really profound and amazing.”
At the fair, a group of cute "little volunteers" also showed up. They were accompanied by their parents or teachers. Despite their age, they were devoted and gave it their all in promoting the charity goods.
Following his parents to the fair, nine-year-old Chen Zi Hao, inspired by the “little volunteers”, planted the idea of volunteering. His mother, Wei Qian Ya who was there for the first time with her mother-in-law and children, was deeply touched by the strong humanistic atmosphere of the fair.
Her mother-in-law said, "Children should start practicing doing good from an early age.” After learning about Tzu Chi's parent-child bonding classes, Wei Qian Ya signed up for her children immediately, hoping to help them grow into more caring individuals through such activities.
Every year, Tzu Ching (Tzu Chi Youth) calls on new members to participate in the fair. This year, a total of 31 Tzu Chings signed up. Their three main tasks: Da Ai broadcasting station, Tzu Ching recruitment zone and environmental promotion.
After a short training, Tzu Ching Seniors accompanied the new members to promote the concept of environmental protection to save the earth and explained the value of "everyone can do good" with practical examples, hoping to attract more people to join the ranks of charity.
Tzu Ching Seniors accompanied the new members to promote the concept of environmental protection and saving the earth. (Photo by Toh Ho)
Gathering the love and support of people from all walks of life
Among the various food stalls, there was one with a special name "People’s Hope Volunteer Chef Vegetarian Food". This is the second time that the Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore) has stepped forward to support the charity fair. Moreover, more than a dozen chefs offered their professional skills to bring out their best dishes.
Chef Wang Wei from W Singapore - Sentosa Cove said, "The happiest thing for a chef is that everyone enjoys the food he cooks. And I am always delighted to share the happiness of doing good deeds."
Chef Pung Lu Tin, the advisor of Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore) recounted his encounter with Master Cheng Yan at the Jing Si Abode whom he has great respect and admiration. Though not using disposable tableware at the fair posed a certain level of challenge, he expressed the society’s full support and remarked, "Tzu Chi is a very disciplined organisation, and everyone works together to help each other. “
QSS Safety Product (S) Pte Ltd, under the leadership of Managing Director Quek Hong Kiat, mobilised almost all of its 30 employees to volunteer at the fair. They were not only responsible for the warehouse operation, but also actively participated in environmental protection group, housekeeping group and the New Year flower booth.
Quek Hong Kiat is also a member of Tzu Chi Singapore Entrepreneur Association. He attaches great importance to employee training and hopes to establish a spirit of mutual help and support in the company, encouraging everyone to give back to the society.
He said, "It would appear that everyone is giving, but in fact, it is ourselves who benefit the most. Everyone invested his or her time and energy in the charity fair to achieve very meaningful work, and this strengthens the cohesiveness among the employees. “
Led by Managing Director Quek Hong Kiat (centre), almost all his 30 employees of QSS Safety Product(S) Pte Ltd volunteered at the fair. (Photo by Fong Kwai Kin)
The charity fair raised a total of S$1.27 million, exceeding the expected goal. The success of this fair is a true testament to the unwavering support of the merchants, the generous donations of the public and tireless dedication of every volunteer, allowing the ripples of kindness and goodwill to spread further and touch more lives.
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