Giving Back to the Community

During the height of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, the Singapore government distributed aid to companies in the form of a Job Support Scheme to help subsidise wages and retain staff. 

After careful deliberation, our Executive Board decided that Jebsen & Jessen would accept only a portion of the allocated funds, opting instead to pass on the remainder to local charitable organisations. 

Over the past several months, we have reached out to five charities that provide incredibly meaningful support to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in Singapore, including children facing family violence, children affected by cancer, people with disabilities, the elderly, and migrant workers. In the spirit of giving back and standing in solidarity with our community, our colleagues in Singapore have also launched a food drive to help those in need. 

As a family enterprise with deep roots in Singapore and the ASEAN region, we’re fortunate to have been able to play a small part in the work of these five charities: 

Children’s Aid Society 
Children’s Aid Society manages Melrose Home, which provides a nurturing ‘Home away from Home’ for vulnerable children and youth aged between 6 and 18 years of age. The Society seeks to support and empower them through specialised therapy and psychological services. The donation from Jebsen & Jessen will be put towards enabling the Society’s infrastructure growth now and into the future. 

Riding for the Disabled Association Singapore 
As the only charity in Singapore that provides free horse-riding therapy, Riding for the Disabled supports hundreds of children and young adults living with both physical and cognitive disabilities. With our donation, the association will be able to add three more horses to their table. This will allow older horses to retire and enable the volunteers to continue growing their capacity and providing unique and meaningful support to those in need. 

Children’s Cancer Foundation 
Children’s Cancer Foundation’s team of caseworkers and counsellors works to improve the emotional, social and medical well-being of families affected by cancer. Through their hospital community-home model, they deliver a range of services including Therapeutic Play, Family/Grief Therapy, Schooling, Financial Assistance, Palliative and Bereavement Service. The Jebsen & Jessen donation will help enable the foundation to continue providing meaningful and life-saving support. 

Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) 
HOME is dedicated to supporting, empowering and advocating for migrant workers, primarily those struggling with issues like: wage theft, work injuries, poor living conditions, physical, verbal and psychological abuse, human trafficking and forced labour. The donation from Jebsen & Jessen will help HOME provide urgent support through their shelter, helplines, and by providing food, medical supplies and casework support. 

St. John’s Home 
St. John’s Home provides shelter and care to meet the physical and spiritual needs of elderly persons who have no home, children or close relatives with adequate resources to care for them. During Singapore’s Circuit Breaker period in April 2020, the charity had to restrict the number of visitors as well as volunteers entering its premises. This social isolation led to loneliness, anxiety and other issues for many of its residents. Our donation will help St. John’s Home completes the construction of their new building, which will feature an apartment named ‘Jebsen & Jessen’. The new home will welcome 64 new residents and allow a dedicated team of volunteers to ensure that everyone at St. John’s Home makes a healthy transition, together with the wider Singapore society, into a new normal.