SUGAR, flour and a dash of love.

Those are some of the ingredients used by 32 students at special education (Sped) schools to bake their cookies this holiday season.

To go with the treats, they also learnt to make speciality coffee and fresh bread to present to their teachers as a token of their appreciation.

The students were guided through the process by Foreword Coffee Roasters, in collaboration with Flour Power and Knead with Love – a baking initiative by the THK Pan-Disability Centre @ Eunos.

“We didn’t want to do just a promotion or a discount for the teachers and staff,” said Foreword’s co-founder and director Lim Wei Jie.

“We thought it would be meaningful to give the gift of engagement and appreciation,” he added, noting that the person-to-person interaction elements of the activity were “crucial”.

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Lim’s Foreword is among a group of businesses participating in SG Cares Giving Week, an annual initiative taking place from Dec 1-7 that aims to inspire individuals and organisations to share their “time, talent, treasure and voice” in support of causes they are passionate about.

This year, Foreword and its partners set out to give back to the Sped schools they have worked with over the past few years – which include Rainbow Centre’s Yishun Park School and Cerebral Palsy Alliance School Singapore – “as an appreciation for the hard work that they do to empower the young to lead meaningful lives”, said Lim.

However, they knew they could not do it alone – and so they approached DBS for assistance. The bank provided both financial support and manpower in the form of 68 staff volunteers.

“We hope that this (activity) can also create more public interest and awareness for people with disabilities,” said Lim.

“Singapore aims to increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities from the current 30 per cent to 40 per cent by 2030. To achieve this goal, more people and organisations need to (interact) with persons with disabilities to provide them with opportunities.”

SG Cares Giving Week is jointly organised by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre, National Council of Social Service, and SG Cares Office.

Its main event will be The Great Bay Fiesta, a carnival taking place at Marina Bay from Dec 1 to Jan 1, organised by SG Cares’ strategic partner Uncle Ringo.

At the month-long event, booths will be operated by non-profit organisations including social service agencies and SG Cares Volunteer Centres. The carnival, which is open to the public, will also feature games and rides, a food fair, a Tesla electric light show, a winter playground and a circus show with an opening performance every Tuesday.

About 300 beneficiaries from vulnerable families have been invited to participate. Their entry fee will be waived and they will receive a stored-value card of S$50 for use on carnival rides.

Uncle Ringo director Joyce Lee said: “As Singapore’s pioneer amusement operator, the community has supported us through all the good and bad times, so we always try to give back in ways we can.”

“These events allow us to increase social awareness and exposure about the importance of kindness, and how giving can help these beneficiaries gain more support.”

Also aboard the giving train is Standard Chartered Bank Singapore. For its Giving Marketplace on Nov 10, the bank assembled 10 social enterprises and non-profit organisations – including Dementia Singapore, Her Rise Above, and Metta Cafe – to set up booths in its offices.

Employees spent time at the booths learning about the operators’ various causes, signing up for volunteering activities, and shopping for delicious treats and handmade gifts.

In addition, over 900 Standard Chartered employees are volunteering in activities that include the 40th FairPrice Share-A-Textbook sorting and distribution, which runs till Dec 10 at Our Tampines Hub; and Project 100=50 pop-up supermarket, a collaboration with Heartwarmers Volunteer Group taking place on Dec 10, 18 and 24 at various locations.

“Businesses’ sustainability and society’s prosperity are intrinsically tied to the well-being of the people and the community,” said Standard Chartered.

“We believe in creating a robust ecosystem of giving in Singapore, where our collective impact is larger than the sum of its parts.”

Company of Good connects organisations to do good strategically, sustainably and impactfully. Make goodness the business of your organisation at www.companyofgood.sg