Bread

Some have asked me why I give them bread.

If you are really starved and poor, bread is probably the first thing you would crave for. In some religion such as Christianity, bread has a special significance in rituals. 

When we speak of "bread and butter", we mean and refer to our livelihood. In that sense, bread becomes something indispensable and we can't do without bread.

Giving out bread and watching the smiles on the faces of the recipients have been rewarding enough for my volunteers and I to keep handing out bread whenever we could. It has become a symbol of our care and concern for the basic needs of the people around us.

The visits to Toa Payoh Lorong 8, Potong Pasir and French Road today drew many smiles, as usual. Bread helps us create bonds and open communication lines. One elderly folk told me that eating bread helps him to swallow his medicine and he was thankful that we gave him bread. 

Another folk said she missed our bread the last time I visited and was really glad to get one this time. There was also this lonely old man who woke up to take a loaf of bread from me and then went back to slumber at the void deck, hugging the loaf of bread like his mini-bolster.

So, a loaf of bread can be more than just food. At the symbolic level, it shows that we care. And we do.