SINGAPORE – The Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Foundation is donating $300,000 to the Community Chest to support seniors, disadvantaged families and the disabled, among others, as the coronavirus crisis enters its fifth month since the first case was reported here on Jan 23.

It joins other companies that have stepped up their giving in recent months to help the less fortunate cope with Singapore’s worst economic crisis in nearly two decades, even as the country looks forward to a phased reopening from Tuesday (June 2).

The donation is part of SPH Foundation’s annual charity giving, which usually takes place around August but has been brought forward this year in recognition of the need for earlier aid amid tougher economic conditions.

Dr Lee Boon Yang, chairman of SPH and SPH Foundation, said the act reflects the company’s firm belief in helping the vulnerable.

“Helping the vulnerable is what we firmly believe in during good and challenging times. As the company adapts to the evolving and protracted health and economic crisis, we will not lose sight of those in our community who are hard hit by the situation,” he said.

SPH and its publications have made an active effort in recent months to support the community in multiple ways, including through collaborative, multimedia mediums that seek to both spread cheer and raise money.

The Straits Times, SPH’s flagship publication, partnered local artists in the “Stay at Home, Singapore” video to raise $205,458 for the ST School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, while spreading the stay-home message at a time when doing so was crucial to containing community spread.

In February, SPH’s Chinese Media Group raised $300,000 through its two-hour livestreamed show – which featured local singers and celebrities such as Joanna Dong, Jack Neo and Sharon Au – dedicated to healthcare workers at the forefront of the country’s medical efforts.

The sum, together with an additional donation of $15,000 by SPH, was then gifted to the Singapore Red Cross for its coronavirus initiatives.

Mr Philip Tan, chairman of the Community Chest, recognised this “wide range of initiatives”, and said the latest donation will help social service agencies continue serving the vulnerable at a time when social programmes, as well as fund-raising activities, have been disrupted by Covid-19.

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