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1,300 low-income families to get monthly fresh produce under Prudential nutrition programme

By KidSTART Singapore June 6, 2021

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As Featured in The Straits Times – 1,300 low-income families to get monthly fresh produce under Prudential nutrition programme (15/06/2021)
Prudential employee Ariel Ong (centre) assembling a care pack with her colleagues, prior to phase two (heightened alert) measures. PHOTO: PRUDENTIAL

SINGAPORE – About 1,300 low-income families will be receiving fresh produce such as spinach, corn and pumpkin monthly by the end of the year as part of an extension of insurer Prudential’s nutrition programme. 

The Healthy with KidStart programme, which was launched last year, is back this time with weekly food drops and resources on healthy eating such as a recipe card curated by an accredited nutritionist, and online workshops. 

The deliveries began in mid-May and will last till the end of the year. At least 200 families will receive the packs in June, and the number will be ramped up each month. 

The total number of families that will benefit is up by 500 from last year’s 800. 

These families are under the KidStart programme, which provides child development, health and social support for low-income families with children below the age of seven. 

KidStart Singapore, formerly under the Early Childhood Development Agency, is now a public company limited by guarantee. 

The initiative Healthy with KidStart, is a collaboration between Prudential Singapore and KidStart Singapore. 

Prudential is one of the community partners that KidStart Singapore works with to provide additional support for KidStart families under the Growing Together with KidStart initiative. 

Ms Nadia Nabiha Dudy Widjaya, 29, a mother of four children and a beneficiary of the KidStart programme, is looking forward to receiving the fresh food packs this year. The family was part of the nutrition programme last year too. 

“The fresh food received helped my family to save on our daily expenses, which in turn allowed us to spend more on other urgent needs such as medical bills and transport,” said Ms Nadia. 

She added that her children loved the carrots, cabbage, potatoes and fruits included in the pack. 

The packs also include a “Healthy Plate”, which is a plate with partitions that indicate the recommended proportions of each major food group in an ideal meal. 

A total of 2,000 plates will be distributed by the end of the year, with each child in the programme receiving a plate, said Prudential.

KidStart Singapore’s chief executive officer, Madam Rahayu Buang, said many families have enjoyed the healthy food items and the useful tips shared to create tasty and nutritious meals under this initiative.

“Some were even introduced to new types of fruits and vegetables that their young children now enjoy,” she added. 

Under the initiative, Prudential employees are involved in the packing and distribution of the food packs. 

Ms Ariel Ong, 46, head of mass segment at Prudential’s customer division, helped to pack the food items before the phase two (heightened alert) measures kicked in. 

“As a mother of two growing children, I know the importance and the challenges of putting healthy food on the table every day. I hope the parents of the beneficiaries feel more encouraged to cultivate healthier eating habits in their families,” she said. 

Prudential Singapore chief executive Dennis Tan said: “By driving greater awareness around the importance of early childhood nutrition and healthy eating, we can help bridge the ‘health gap’ in our community.”

This article was originally featured in The Straits Times, published Jun 15, 2021 by Goh Yan Han.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/1300-low-income-families-to-receive-monthly-fresh-produce-under-nutrition-programme

As Featured in SUPERADRIANME – Prudential Singapore continues to support families through Healthy with KidSTART (15/06/2021)
Prudential employee Ms Ariel Ong assembling a care pack consisting of fresh produce, a “Healthy Plate”, and a recipe card, together with her colleagues. (Prudential Singapore photo)

Prudential Singapore has extended its collaboration with the Early Childhood Development Agency since its first partnership in November last year which benefited 800 families. Healthy with KidSTART is a nutrition programme for young children. The KidSTART programme provides child development, health and support to low-income families with children below the age of seven.

In November last year, 800 families received a care pack of healthy food items including food for babies and pre-school aged children such as multi-grain baby puffs, multi-vitamins and milk. 120 of them with more food security needs got an additional supply of fresh produce for three months between October and December 2020. 

This year, some 1,300 families have been benefitting from the programme by receiving fresh produce and resources for healthy eating since 11 May 2021. Each care pack contains fresh fruits and vegetables. There is also a recipe card prepared by Charlotte Mei who is a Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association accredited nutritionist. The recipe card provides instructions to prepare simple, cost-effective and healthy meals using ingredients included in the pack. Prudential employees and financial consultants have volunteered to assemble and distribute the care packs. 

Each family is receiving a “Healthy Plate” to help them prepare a well-balanced meal. These plates are developed and produced in consultation with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and KidSTART. They are modelled after the Health Promotion Board‘s “My Healthy Plate” which serves as a guide for a healthier and well-balanced diet with the ideal proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables and fruits in a meal. A total of 2,000 plates will be distributed by the end of the year, with each child in the programme receiving a plate. 

Charlotte Mei will be conducting a series of online workshops throughout the year for the families and volunteers, providing continuous guidance on healthy cooking and eating.

For individuals who would like to contribute to the KidSTART programme, there are opportunities to volunteer or raise funds and awareness. As part of the Growing Together with KidSTART initiative, volunteers are needed to help with outreach efforts. The target is to serve 5,000 children by the end of 2022. 

You can also be a befriender to families by providing practical and emotional support, including child-minding or accompanying family members to the clinic and assisting the KidSTART worker in the preparation and execution of the KidSTART programmes. Befrienders and Outreach volunteers will undergo a 2.5 hours training session before they are deployed. 

Share the cause and help raise funds for families. You can start an initiative in your school, workplace or community.

This article was originally featured in SUPERADRIANME, published Jun 15, 2021 by Adrian.

https://www.superadrianme.com/society/prudential-singapore-continues-to-support-families-through-healthy-with-kidstart/

As Featured in Lianhe Zaobao – 保诚保险继续参与辅助计划 送营养食品给1300户有幼儿家庭 (16/06/2021)

his article was originally featured in Lianhe Zaobao, published Jun 15, 2021.

As Featured in The Business Times – Instilling healthy eating habits, one recipe at a time (17/06/2021)
Prudential employee Ariel Ong (centre) assembling a care pack consisting of fresh produce, a Healthy Plate, and a recipe card, together with her colleagues before Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures were rolled out. 
PHOTO: PRUDENTIAL SINGAPORE

Singapore 

AN extended collaboration between Prudential Singapore and KidSTART Singapore will see 1,300 families benefit from their nutrition programme, Healthy with KidSTART. 

Last year, the programme served 800 families, and distributed health food items such as milk and multi-vitamins, and resources on early childhood nutrition. 

Families with greater food security concerns received an additional supply of fresh produce from October to April this year. 

But with the extended programme – which started on May 11 – beneficiary families will receive fresh produce and guidance on how to prepare healthy meals.

Chief executive officer of Prudential Singapore, Dennis Tan, said that by extending the programme, Prudential hopes to “provide a foundation for more parents to instill healthy eating habits in their children”. Children’s growing years prove vital in providing them the right nutrition for growth and development. Food preferences and eating habits formed in this phase also affect their behaviour and health in the future, so Mr Tan hopes the programme can give parents the resources they need for healthy and nutritious meals. These resources include deliveries of fresh fruits and vegetables, and recipe cards, and will continue to be distributed even during the heightened Covid-19 alert measures. 

The recipes were curated by a nutritionist from the Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association, Charlotte Mei, for the programme and are simple and cost-effective. 

“The recipes have benefited me a lot as my children now love eating potatoes, fruits and vegetables in their dishes. Everything in the pack was fresh and delicious,” said Siti Marliana, a KidSTART beneficiary. 

Good guide for well-balanced meals 

Some 2,000 children in the programme will also receive a Healthy Plate, modelled after the Health Promotion Board’s recommended proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables and fruit in a meal. Rahayu Buang, CEO of KidSTART said: ” The Healthy Plate will be a good guide for families to prepare well-balanced meals for their children.” 

Prudential will also host a series of online workshops conducted by Ms Mei for the families and volunteers. “We hope that through the programme, more KidSTART families will form healthy eating habits which will give them a good start in life,” Mdm Rahayu shared. The programme is part of a joint inititative between KidSTART and the Ministry of Social and Family Development launched in 2019, called Growing Together with KidSTART.

This article was originally featured in The Business Times, published Jun 17, 2021 by Samantha Heo.

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/life-culture/instilling-healthy-eating-habits-one-recipe-at-a-time

As Featured in Tamil Murasu
As Featured in InsuranceAsia – Prudential Singapore, KidSTART extend nutrition programme

Beneficiaries have been receiving fresh produce since May this year. 

Prudential Singapore and KidSTART Singapore have extended their joint nutrition programme for another year which will see around 1,300 families benefiting from the programme, an announcement read. 

Since May this year, beneficiaries have been receiving fresh produce deliveries and guidance on preparing healthy meals. 

Each care pack includes fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a recipe card with instructions on how to prepare meals using ingredients included in the pack.

In addition, each family is receiving a model plate that depicts the recommended proportion of the major food groups in an ideal meal. The plates have been produced in consultation with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and KidSTART. 

A total of 2,000 plates will be distributed by the end of the year, with each child in the programme receiving a plate, the insurer said. 

Prudential will also be hosting a series of online workshops throughout the year, aimed at providing families and Prudential volunteers continuous guidance on healthy cooking and eating.

This article was originally featured in InsuranceAsia.

https://insuranceasia.com/insurance/news/prudential-singapore-kidstart-extend-nutrition-programme

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