Asia Pacific Breweries Limited (APBL)

APB Foundation’s spirit of giving takes on a different flavour this moon-cake season.

More than 60 employee volunteers from all levels of management and staff will today rally more than 130 elderly guests and their families for the  APB Foundation’s ‘Groceries with Heart’ programme to set a brand new entry in the Singapore Book of Records for the largest display of pomelo lanterns.

For this pioneering effort, APB Foundation partners APEX Club of Singapore (City) to bring together programme beneficiaries to carve at least 200 pomelo lanterns together to set a new record in Singapore.  The beneficiaries are mostly senior citizens in their 60s and families with children as young as five years old. They live in 1 or 2-room flats in Jalan Bukit Merah, Kim Tian Road, Telok Blangah Crescent and Telok Blangah Rise.

With no strict limitations in terms of age, gender and race, carving pomelo lanterns is a great community activity to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. This event unites the community and resurrects latent creativity throughout the entire lantern making process.  All APB employee volunteers, community partners and elderly beneficiaries will have to work in teams to carve pomelo lanterns. 

Says Mr Roland Pirmez, Chairman, Advisory Committee and Member, Board of Trustees of the APB Foundation, “The APB Foundation supports the Singapore communities in meaningful ways where we can make a contribution to their quality of life. One such way is caring for the less privileged. We are today excited and inspired by our staff for positively and creatively impacting our local community.”

APB Foundation is also glad to announce that it has pledged another S$209,664 (almost twice its initial funding in July 2009) to “Groceries with Heart” programme for another two years from September 2011 to 2013. This grocery program seeks to help the needy cope better with rising food prices in Singapore. Beneficiaries will collect their grocery packs at designated venues every alternate Saturday. Non-ambulant recipients will have their packs delivered to them by Volunteers of Apex. A typical bag of groceries include rice, eggs, cream crackers, condensed milk, instant noodles, coffee/milk powder, and fruits.

Says Mr Leslie Low, President, Apex Club of Singapore (City), “We thank APB Foundation for their continuous support to us. This enables us to live up to our ideals -- forming enduring friendships, rendering altruistic service and building better communities. We also recognize the indispensable role that APB play as a business in building a better Singapore.”

About Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation

The Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation was established in 1994 to ignite compassion and inspire talents through philanthropic efforts. It focuses on three community development areas – Human Excellence, Creativity Development and Humanitarian Causes and is committed to many initiatives ranging from arts funding and backing talent-building projects for human capital development, to engaging in meaningful partnership with organizations or individuals who share our common goal to serve the society.

About the Apex Club of Singapore (City)

Originating from Australia, the first Apex Club was formed in Singapore in 1956 and is a non-political and non-sectarian voluntary community service organisation for young people aged 18 - 45 years old.

Apex Club of Singapore (City) is one of the three clubs of the Association of Apex Clubs of Singapore, which is registered with the National Voluntary Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and is an associate member of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS).

There are two National Level Projects undertaken by Apex Club of Singapore:

1)    The Apex Day Rehabilitation Centre (ADRC) for Elderly was a pilot project initiated by the NCSS in 1980. Adopted by the Association of Apex Clubs of Singapore and assisted by Sisters from the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. The Centre has over the years provided services and care to the frail and disabled elderly as well as their care-takers and family members.

2)    The Apex Harmony Lodge (AHL) was registered in 1995 as Singapore first Purpose built home for dementia patients. AHL opened in Nov 1999.  The Lodge is a pioneer in providing patients suffering from dementia, a high level of healthcare for more than 200 stay in residents and 50 day care patients.

Apex Club of Singapore (City) focuses on helping the elderly and needy in Singapore and aims to achieve maximum positive impact through their work by partnering like-minded organisations and the relevant authorities.

It raises funds for its various community service projects primarily through collecting and selling old newspapers and clothing. Projects conducted by our respective Apex Clubs include outings and gatherings for the elderly, Food Distribution Programme and overseas community service projects.