The following section addresses general frequently asked questions (FAQs). We encourage you to review this comprehensive resource before reaching out to us. The Food Bank Singapore was founded in 2012 and we were granted charity status in August 2012 (Co. Reg No: 201200654E) and has achieved IPC status since 2015. An IPC is an organisation approved by the Commissioner of Charities to receive tax deductible donations. Donors are given tax deduction of up to 250% for donations made to The Food Bank Singapore. Our goal is to achieve food security* for all in Singapore. As a local food charity that is not funded by the Singapore government, our mission is to connect food surpluses with communities to improve food security while championing food sustainability through education, advocacy, and reduction of food loss and waste. Our work revolves around collecting food surpluses—much of which would otherwise contribute to food waste—from farms, manufacturers, distributors, retail stores, restaurants, consumers, and other sources. This food is redistributed to communities in need through our vast network of food beneficiary partners and charities, including various homes, family service centres, soup kitchens, and other Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs). In doing so, we can improve food security in Singapore. Although most of the food we secure are food donations and supluses, we procure food when donations are insufficient to meet the needs of our beneficiaries. We serve beneficiaries via our network of beneficiary partners and some of our partners are Red Cross, Methodist Welfare Services, Sunlove, Pertapis, Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities, etc. The Food Bank Singapore has developed a varity of programmes that are targeted to improve food security and food sustainability in Singapore. They include: The Food Bank Singapore is the nation’s only food bank that is accredited with The Global FoodBanking Network, an organisation which supports food banks in more than 50 countries. As an IPC-registered food charity that is not funded by the government, our work is largely supported by donations. One of the key differences between us and other food charities is that we rescue more food than we buy, reflecting our commitment to reducing food loss and waste as a means to improving food security. This is important because globally, 1/3 of all food grown and produced is lost, and food waste contributes up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, we are the only local food charity that is involved in advocacy, taking time through our advocacy programme that sees us reaching out to corporates and schools to share the critical topics of food insecurity and food waste and their impact on communities and the planet. You can support or partner us in a variety of ways, including, donating food to us (please refer to the FAQ tab on donating food or visit (https://foodbank.sg/deposit-food/individual-donors-food-bank-boxes/ for individual food donation), (https://foodbank.sg/food-drive/ for food drive donations), or (https://foodbank.sg/food-industry/ for bulk food donations from food manufacturers, importers, and the like). Please check out the FAQs for “Donate” for more details. You can reach us via the following email addresses: Please note that there is no visitor parking within the premises. However, public parking is available along the road outside our building, with standard coupon parking rates.
General FAQs: The Food Bank Singapore
Is The Food Bank Singapore an Instituion of Public Character (IPC)?
What is the vision (goal) of The Food Bank Singapore?
* Food security in our context is to ensure that no one goes hungry involuntarily; that all have access and availability to food that can nourish
What is the mission of The Food Bank Singapore?
How does The Food Bank Singapore work?
We are committed to advancing food sustainability by tackling one of the world’s most pressing challenges – food waste. Every year, millions of tonnes of edible food are discarded while many still face hunger. We work to bridge this gap by raising awareness and advocating for responsible consumption and driving action that redistributes food efficiently. Through education, partnerships, and community initiatives, we work to create a future where every meal counts, resources are respected and food that can still nourish does not go to waste.Â
Who are the communities The Food Bank Singapore serve?
What are the programmes that The Food Bank Singapore undertake as part of its mission?
How is The Food Bank Singapore different from other food charities in Singapore?
How can I partner or support the cause of The Food Bank Singapore?
You can also support us via monetary donations, which go towards our procurement of food when food donations/surplus are insufficient to meet the needs of our beneficiaries. Being a local charity that is not funded by the government, monetary donation is also critical as it helps us to maintain our operations and develop better programmes to do our mission well.
How can I reach out to The Food Bank Singapore?
To contact us for food support:
Email:Â beneficiaries@foodbank.sg
For food donations and logistics-related enquiries:
Email:Â logistics@foodbank.sg
To enquire about volunteering opportunities:
Email:Â volunteer@foodbank.sg
For media and communications enquiries:
Email:Â corpcomms@foodbank.sg
For general enquiries:
Email:Â enquiries@foodbank.sg
Is there parking within the premises?
We partner with food beneficiary partners like Social Service Centres (SSCs) across various parts of Singapore. The specific location for your activity will be allocated by our team based on several factors, such as the centre’s current capacity and needs, logistics, and availability. This approach helps ensure fair and efficient distribution without overloading any one area, allowing us to support beneficiaries across different regions effectively.
Too few volunteers may make it challenging to complete the session on time, and the physical weight of the bundles could place additional strain on each individual. Conversely, too many volunteers may result in idle manpower, the session ending too quickly, and space constraints at the centre — particularly during the packing process.
As a general guideline, we recommend a volunteer-to-bundle ratio of 1:4 to 1:5. For example, if you have 100 volunteers, we suggest pledging around 400–500 bundles. However, for activities of this scale, please note that the session will need to be split across 2–3 locations, as even the larger centres typically have a maximum capacity of 250–300 bundles per session.
While it is absolutely understandable and acceptable to have slightly more volunteers than our recommended ratio, we would still advise aligning the number of volunteers as closely as possible to the number of bundles pledged. This helps to ensure that everyone has a meaningful role to play, and that the session runs smoothly and efficiently for all involved. We understand the importance of engagement during CSR activities, and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully.
Attire: Please dress comfortably in T-shirt and Bermudas/shorts and covered shoes. Best to put on corporate Tee (if available), ideal for CSR social media postingÂ
Items to bring: Please bring along penknives (if available) for unboxing the carton boxes, and pens for writing during the door-to-door distribution. Please bring along bottled water as well.
| 10:00 | Volunteers report at the centre |
| 10:00–10:15 | Unloading of food items from Food Bank’s van |
| 10:15–10:30 | Briefing by a representative or volunteer from The Food Bank Singapore, followed by a short intro by the food beneficiary partner |
| 10:30–11:15 | Packing Demo and Packing of food bundles |
| 11:15–11:30 | Photo-taking & team split for distribution |
| 11:30–12:30 | Door-to-door distribution of food bundles |
| 12:30–12:45 | Volunteers report back to centre |
| 12:45–13:00 | Housekeeping, debrief, and dismissal |
PM Session (14:00 – 17:00)
| 14:00 | Volunteers report at the centre |
| 14:00–14:15 | Unloading of food items from Food Bank’s van |
| 14:15–14:30 | Briefing by a representative or volunteer from The Food Bank Singapore, followed by a short intro by the food beneficiary partner |
| 14:30–15:15 | Packing Demo and Packing of food bundles |
| 15:15–15:30 | Photo-taking & team split for distribution |
| 15:30–16:30 | Door-to-door distribution of food bundles |
| 16:30–16:45 | Volunteers report back to centre |
| 16:45–17:00 | Housekeeping, debrief, and dismissal |
We would like to share that the general items included in the bundles typically consist of, but are not limited to, the following:
Please note that the exact items may vary slightly depending on availability.
Please note that in most instances, The Food Bank Singapore will procure food for the bundles. Even though the bulk of our work revolves around rescuing food surpluses and redistributing them to communities, the food bundles mostly consist of food that have been purchased at bulk charity rates to maximise impact. We will add on food donations whenever possible, depending on availability and the total number of food bundles required on the day of distribution.
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The session will proceed regardless of weather conditions. Most of the pathways from the packing area to the distribution blocks are sheltered, though some segments may be exposed. In the event of rain, volunteers may wish to bring an umbrella or light rainwear (e.g. poncho).
Dividing the volunteers into groups in advance is not necessary. Due to the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), beneficiary details are shared only on the day of the event. Our Foodbankers will assist in dividing your team into small groups based on the distribution list provided by the beneficiary centre. Please note that some blocks may have significantly more beneficiaries than others—for instance, one block might have 20 recipients, while another could have 80. As such, the exact number of groups and their sizes will be determined on the day itself to ensure efficient distribution.
For a better understanding of the activity, feel free to watch our video on Delivering Food Door-to-Door with The Foodbank Singapore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZlWRLQYjOA&t=32s
Please report directly to the assigned centre or the specific address provided to you in advance. Upon arrival, Foodbankers will be on-site to guide you and coordinate the session. Additionally, staff from our food beneficiary partner will be present to support your team’s arrival and ensure smooth operations throughout the event.
Please confirm your booking at least one month in advance as this programme requires a minimum of one month
lead-time to allow proper planning and coordination of all necessary logistics.
As the session date approaches, we will connect you with the centre’s in‑charge and finalise all logistical details.
On the day itself, bring your team for a time of binding and sharing kindness. Meet at the centre/designated location where our foodbanker will guide you through the activity of unloading, packing, and distribution of the food bundles.
The activity will take place near the allocated beneficiary centre. If there is available space during the activity, volunteers may store their bags at the centre. However, if the activity location is farther from the centre or the centre is unavailable due to another activity, bags can be left at the packing location (i.e., void deck), where a Foodbanker will be present to look after them during the distribution.
Generally, no forms are required unless specifically requested by the assigned centre. Please check with the
centre in advance to confirm any documentation needed.
We warmly welcome family members to join! Please note that packing typically takes place in areas such as void
decks or open pavilions. For safety reasons, children under 14 years old should be closely supervised by a guardian at all times.
You can contribute to our mission directly by donating food and/or making a monetary donation to fund our operations. You can also volunteer with us. For information on volunteering, please check the “Volunteer” tab
 a. Corporate or School Groups: We encourage you to organise a food drive to help support our cause. Learn more and get started.
b. Individual Donors: You can conveniently deposit your food donations at any of our Food Bank Box locations islandwide. Find the nearest location here.
c. Large-Scale Donations: For bulk donations from food manufacturers, distributors, or retailers, please complete the form here.
 Every month, we will share our Wish List via social media (Instagram highlights under “Donation”) to support our beneficiary partners to ensure they receive food that aligns with the needs of their beneficiaries. If you prefer
to check via email, please feel free to free out to us at logistics@foodbank.sg For individual food donations (non-bulk), we accept food donations that are unopened, in their original packaging, with no less than five weeks of shelf left left.
For bulk donations, we would appreciate it if there is at least eight weeks of shelf life left so we have adequate time to redistribute the surplus to our beneficiary partners.
 Yes, please email us at logistics@foodbank.sg before bringing your food donation to the our warehouse located at 218, Pandan Loop. Thank you for your generous support!
Yes, you can arrange for delivery to our warehouse from Monday to Friday, between 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM. Please avoid scheduling deliveries between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. For delivery coordination, you may contact logistics@foodbank.sg.
 Yes, we accept non-food items including household essentials such as toiletries, detergent, tissues, etc., since these are items that end beneficiaries would appreciate too.
Monetary Donations: Your generous financial support can make a significant difference. Please donate online via The Food Bank Singapore website or through The Food Bank Singapore’s giving.sg page.
The funds collected serves to help us to manage our operations – the costs associated with warehousing and logistics for our food rescue and redistribution efforts, the administrative aspects of the work that we do in coordinating food surplus delivery to beneficiary organisations. All in all, monetary donations help us to carry out our mission to improve both food security and sustainability.
 Currently, our donation page is unable to support AMEX payments. However, we recommend linking your AMEX card to GrabPay for a seamless donation experience through the GrabPay Wallet.
You can find out more about volunteering at The Food Bank Singapore at: https://foodbank.sg/volunteer/. On this page, there is a volunteer signup form that you can submit which will allow us to match your availability, interests, and motivations with the most suitable volunteer role type.
At The Food Bank Singapore, you can volunteer as a warehouse assistant, volunteer driver, delivery assistant, or a bundle leader. To learn more, visit: https://foodbank.sg/volunteer/
For warehouse, delivery assistant, and food bundle distribution volunteers, we recommend wearing casual, comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes. Please refrain from wearing
heels, slippers, or sandals.
For event or showcase volunteers, we would require volunteers to put on the official “Foodbanker Supporter” T-shirt during the event/showcase.
Our warehouse volunteer needs depend on the amount of food donations we receive, which can vary. To manage this, we schedule volunteers based on the actual needs at the time, ensuring flexibility and clear communication. By posting the volunteer schedule two weeks ahead and not allowing bookings too far in advance, we can better match volunteer availability with our needs, making sure our resources are used efficiently to support our mission.
Get involved in our work to improve food security and sustainability in Singapore. Our committed team works tirelessly to assist those in need, and we welcome individuals and groups eager to contribute.Â
Passionate about doing your bit to prevent perfectly good and edible food from going into the landfill? Volunteering with us gives you avenues to contribute to his cause.Â
Regardless of your skills or availability, there’s a role for you! Join us and make a tangible difference in your community. Sign up to volunteer today and be a part of a truly impactful cause.
