MBS, Food Bank Singapore and Metta Welfare Association bring festive cheer to 6,000 beneficiaries

[SINGAPORE] Kueh lapis, ang ku kueh and iced gem biscuits.These “food items” were strewn across the tables, but they were not meant to be eaten. Instead, about 300 staff volunteers from Marina Bay Sands (MBS) were taking instructions from a group of artists aged 24 to 30 from Arts@Metta progamme to create keychains from 3D-printed images of the traditional snacks.The initiative, under Metta Welfare Association, equips youth with special needs with artistic and professional skills in a bid to widen their career pathways through development in the visual arts, among others. Felicia Wee, deputy executive director at Metta Welfare Association, said that such collaborations are important as the initiative operates on a self-sustaining model supported primarily through earned income and partnership, enabling greater agility in programme design while strengthening financial resilience.The keychains produced were distributed with 6,000 food kits through The Food Bank Singapore’s network of beneficiary partners which included Red Cross Home for the Disabled, Woodlands Social Centre and Pertapis. This is the fifth Food Kit Build event that MBS and The Food Bank Singapore have organised together, but it is their inaugural partnership with Metta Welfare Association.However, ties run deep as MBS has worked with The Food Bank Singapore since 2016, providing ongoing donations of unserved banquet food. The integrated resort also supported Metta Welfare Association since 2010 through funding support for its vocational training programmes and employment opportunities for its graduates. Patrick Dumont, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, said: “The (initiative) has grown into a meaningful tradition that unites our regions in providing relief to communities experiencing hardship.”Arthur Chin, executive director at The Food Bank Singapore, said: “For many families facing food insecurities, the festive season can bring additional pressures. These food kits provide timely support and a touch of comfort…”On challenges, Wee said as society becomes increasingly digital, there is a growing need to ensure the artists continue to build essential life and work skills – particularly in digital literacy, cyber safety and cashless transactions. “Another example of how we upskill their digital skills (is) using the 3D printer to create items.”Also, as some programmes are self-sustaining, having to find resources in current times is also a hurdle.“Forging strategic partnerships with like-minded organisations is essential to sustaining our programmes and advancing our advocacy, ensuring that persons with disabilities remain meaningfully included and actively engaged in the community,” Wee said.Also on view at Marina Bay Sands is Wings, a museum-scale glass and light installation by Singapore artist Eunice Yeo, currently on display at the Convention Centre Level 3. The work was developed through a two-stage process.The first phase involved over 100 public participants while the second was an extended studio phase where the piece was structurally re-engineered and refined, said Yeo. The work “transforms discarded materials into something luminous and ethereal”, she added.The installation is on display until Mar 1 and is concurrently available for auction on annexe.asia, with proceeds benefiting the Singapore Red Cross Young Hearts Programme.