Community supermarket offers eligible Bedok Reservoir-Punggol residents 90% off groceries

To assist low-income families in coping with rising living costs, a community supermarket at Punggol Community Club is offering groceries to eligible households at a 90 per cent discount in the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol division. Residents with a Blue CHAS card can purchase essentials like toilet paper, canned food, and biscuits for just 10 per cent of the price, with the remainder deducted from an annual $100 subsidy.

Around 3,400 households are eligible for this initiative, and approximately 200 households have already purchased items from the supermarket since its launch in August. Operated by volunteers, the supermarket operates every other Saturday for two hours in the morning.

Adrian Ang, adviser to Aljunied GRC Grassroots Organisations, explained that the supermarket was established due to residents' concerns about increasing living expenses. Unlike a fixed selection of items, the community supermarket allows residents to choose what they need, which also helps prevent food wastage. Ang, who ran as a PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC in the 2025 General Election, was present at the supermarket and community garden on September 5.

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Public Services, attended the visit but did not speak to the media.

Ang expressed hope that the supermarket will benefit not only lower-income families but also those facing challenges such as single parents or young individuals with illnesses. Housewife Ong Ser Moy, 70, mentioned that she had used up her $100 subsidy over two visits to the supermarket, paying $6.80 for $68 worth of items, including toilet paper, noodles, biscuits, and canned food.

Ong, who lives with her husband and son in a four-room flat, expressed gratitude for the affordable grocery prices, stating that the cost of living has significantly increased.

Cindy Heng, 67, another resident, hoped that the initiative would help reduce her grocery spending, currently ranging between $200 and $300 a month for her household of three. She intends to return to buy tissue, soap, and Milo. Ang and Chan also visited a rooftop community garden in Block 465A Upper Serangoon Road, where volunteers grow vegetables such as chye sim, nai bai, and bok choy.

About 40kg to 50kg of vegetables are harvested weekly and are free for residents to collect, with some items also distributed to kindergartens. With approximately 100 households visiting the garden weekly, volunteer Robin Ngo, 61, expressed satisfaction in seeing families collect the produce, noting the volunteers' efforts to maintain the garden since its inception in December 2025.

The garden has around 30 volunteers, mostly seniors, who dedicate about two hours each week to gardening. Ngo emphasized that gardening not only keeps seniors healthy and active but also benefits the entire community.