- Current donation sum is five times the original target of 50,000
- Public donations via SingPost posting boxes constituted more than 70% of total number
- Appeals for mask donations to continue as beneficiaries need to replace existing masks due to wear-and-tear
- Minister of State (MOE & MSF) Sun Xueling also presented 2,400 masks to SingPost frontliners, to thank them for their service to the nation
- Senior Minister of State (MCI & MND) Sim Ann graced the occasion as well
Singapore, 20 August 2020 – Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) and Masks Sewn With Love expressed their gratitude to the public today as mask donations crossed a quarter of a million barely four months after its nationwide launch in April.
The number is five times the original target of 50,000 masks, with more than 70% sent via SingPost’s 798 posting boxes islandwide. As the postal partner to Masks Sewn With Love , SingPost waived all postage fees for masks donated to the initiative through its posting boxes. The mask donations were then processed and stored at the SingPost Mail Processing Centre and delivered gratis to Masks Sewn With Love.
“SingPost is tremendously honoured to be able to contribute to this very timely and meaningful initiative. As the national postal operator, we are proud to offer our community assets, experience and expertise to help safeguard Singapore against COVID-19,” said Robin Goh, Group Chief Brand and Communications Officer of SingPost.
“As an essential service, our duty to the Nation extends beyond post. In times of crisis, it is our responsibility to step up and serve the nation in whatever way we can. We are inspired by the public’s response, and will continue to support Masks Sewn With Love for as long as the donation drive lasts.”
Masks donated by the public came in various forms and designs. Masks sized for children, themed masks (National Day-themed masks being the most recent example) as well as masks designed to be worn over hijabs were but a few examples of the empathy and thoughtfulness demonstrated by Singaporeans through this initiative.
After quality checks and repackaging, the donated masks were distributed to vulnerable groups in crisis shelters and homes, vulnerable children and families, cleaners and domestic workers, as well as frontline staff across various industries.
“SingPost stepped forward during the Circuit Breaker to help in the collection of home-sewn masks by our volunteers and consolidated them for distribution to beneficiaries such as vulnerable children, and the elderly. They were instrumental in helping us arrange delivery of 180,000 home-sewn masks nationwide. This is corporate social responsibility at its best and Masks Sewn With Love is grateful to have SingPost as our steadfast partner. We will continue to work with SingPost as long as there is a need for mask donations to keep fellow Singaporeans safe,” said Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Education, Social and Family Development, and advisor to the Masks Sewn With Love effort.
Due to the ongoing need for masks, the Masks Sewn With Love initiative will continue to receive and distribute public donations to those who need them. Members of the public who wish to donate handsewn masks can place them into a blank envelope with the words “Masks Sewn With Love” written at the front, and deposit it within any posting box islandwide. There is no need to affix a stamp to the envelope as SingPost will waive all postage fees for the donations.
In a ceremony this morning, Minister of State for Education as well as Social and Family Development also presented 2,400 masks to SingPost frontline staff, as a gesture of appreciation for their service to the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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About Singapore Post Limited
For more than 160 years, Singapore Post (SingPost), as the country's postal service provider, has been delivering trusted and reliable services to homes and businesses in Singapore. Today, SingPost is pioneering and leading in eCommerce logistics as well as providing innovative mail and logistics solutions in Singapore and around the world, with operations in 19 markets.
Building on its trusted communications through domestic and international postal services, SingPost is taking the lead in end-to-end integrated and digital mail solutions. The suite of SingPost eCommerce logistics solutions includes front end web management, warehousing and fulfilment, last mile delivery and international freight forwarding.
About Masks Sewn With Love
Masks Sewn With Love is a community project to sew reusable cloth masks for our Singapore Nation. These masks sewn with love, by the community (volunteers) for the community, will be distributed to the vulnerable groups in shelter and homes, cleaners and domestic helpers; including vulnerable kids and their families within the respective estates.
