SINGAPORE — When Mr Looi Im Heok started distributing food to the needy in 1988, the then-60-year-old would drive around in his pick-up truck and deliver it personally. Since then, his one-man show has grown into a food distribution network for the underprivileged every week.

Speaking at the 25th anniversary and appreciation dinner for the Lions Food Collection and Distribution Project, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong lauded the efforts of Mr Looi, who is now 85 and continues to go to the collection point every Friday without fail, as he called on Singaporeans to “do our best to help the poor … and make sure that needy citizens are not left behind”.

He noted that “in every society, however affluent, there will be some needy families” and it was “not possible to eliminate poverty completely”.

Ground-up efforts complement what the Government is doing through the Community Development Councils, welfare programmes and grassroots organisations, he said.

The dinner was held at SAFRA Toa Payoh and attended by about 650 guests. Currently, the project, which has come under the Lions Club of Singapore, collects food and other necessities from the general public, stalls and organisations such as the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market and Jurong Wholesale Market.

It then distributes the items to hundreds of needy residents in 14 nursing homes, such as the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled, Jamiyah Singapore and Teen Challenge Singapore.