Singapore family sets up vending machine outside home, offering free drinks for workers

[Kyrios]

Yup sorry my bad..i mistaken the mother as one of the 'daughters'..never read properly..

[Fcw75]

The father Eric Chiam is a doctor. Founder and CEO of MinMed.

Edited March 9, 2023 by Fcw75

[13177]

On 3/9/2023 at 8:25 PM, Fcw75 said:

The father Eric Chiam is a doctor. Founder and CEO of MinMed.

Read that the mother also a doctor.

[SGMCF328]

More photos of the char bors in that kind-hearted family. Don't know if our resident mixed signal guy @SiLangKia will be interested hahahaha

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by SGMCF328

[Sosaria]

On 3/7/2023 at 8:29 AM, SGMCF328 said:

We have read about kind hearted residents providing free wifi for workers, giving them free food and drinks when the workers are working for them (upgrading project included), but this one really take the cake! The perks of being rich.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-family-vending-machine-free-drinks-workers-031548465.html

A family residing in Siglap has set up a drinks-vending machine outside their home, so that food deliverymen and other workers can enjoy free drinks.

According to The Straits Times, Eric Chiam and his wife developed this vending machine idea with their triplet children, Andre, Ethan, and Sophia.

They called this family project "TYVMdrinks" or "Thank You Very Much drinks", said Chiam in a LinkedIn post on Friday (3rd March).

Each of the family members had specific roles. Chiam's son wrote the first ideas and critical considerations in a Google Doc, while his other son designed the logo and vending machine stickers. His daughter manages the Instagram account, his wife orders the drinks and Chiam himself funds the project.

Although he had initially intended to store drinks in a fridge by the gate of his home at Yarrow Gardens, he encountered "significant difficulty" in constructing a shelter.

As a result, they decided to install a vending machine that can keep beverages cold and withstand outdoor weather conditions.

During its first month of operation in January, the machine dispensed 637 drinks to food deliverymen, postal workers, and anyone else coming by on a work errand.

Chaim pointed out that postmen and refuse truck workers use the vending machine daily. "The Grab and Lalamove guys were in two camps, some took the drinks, but others were in too much of a hurry to notice its presence," he said.

"We reckon news of the drinks machine has not gone around in their WhatsApp groups much yet."

On average, 21 cans of beverages would be dispensed daily. According to Chiam, green tea and 100 plus beverages were the clear favourites.

The Straits Times reported that setting up and decorating the vending machine cost about $3,000, and the canned drinks cost less than 50 cents each.

Besides replenishing the vending machine twice a week, the family also discusses the types and number of drinks to buy over meals and ways to improve the project.

Dr Chiam suggested a pay-it-forward system to improve the project where others can chip in to purchase drinks for the delivery workers.

Having kind comments about the vending machine online has been encouraging. Chiam told The Straits Times, "The most rewarding part of this project is definitely seeing the smiles of delivery men, drivers and service people who use it."

Well, sure they are rich and can easily afford it, but they went one step ahead and took action by implementing the idea. It's not just giving, by the way, they also gain as a family, working together and bringing a project to fruition.

The couple also did their part by having 3 kids! Can't say that they are selfish. Money well-spent.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Sosaria

[SiLangKia]

On 3/13/2023 at 11:08 AM, SGMCF328 said:

More photos of the char bors in that kind-hearted family. Don't know if our resident mixed signal guy @SiLangKia will be interested hahahaha

 

Mai la Mai la i have enough women troubles

[SGMCF328]

Slowly but surely. With more contributors joining, this is morphing into a community project for the better good of the neighborhood. A perfect demonstration of 抛砖引玉 (to attract others' interest by putting forward one's own modest ideas to get the ball rolling)

Kudos to the Dr. Eric and family. 👍

[Jman888]

but all the high sugar drinks leh, not healthy for them

 

[13177]

On 3/27/2023 at 12:25 PM, Jman888 said:

but all the high sugar drinks leh, not healthy for them

 

Ya, against the diabetes campaign which gahment keep promoting. 😅

[Kb27]

I'm a skeptic, but let's see how long this will last.

[GratefulPioneer]

On 3/27/2023 at 11:59 AM, SGMCF328 said:

Slowly but surely. With more contributors joining, this is morphing into a community project for the better good of the neighborhood. A perfect demonstration of 抛砖引玉 (to attract others' interest by putting forward one's own modest ideas to get the ball rolling)

Kudos to the Dr. Eric and family. 👍

Agree with you. Kindness will lead to more kindness, like the kumpong days.

[SGMCF328]

As much as I detest people posting kind acts on TikTok and other social media, the kid involved has special needs (Autism Spectrum Disorder), so it is worth posting, to me.

This made my day: Mum teaches kids to spread love by giving out drinks to migrant workers

Source: https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/made-my-day-mum-teaches-kids-spread-love-giving-out-drinks-migrant-workers

A small act of kindness goes a long way. 

One mum in Singapore taught her kids to show kindness to not only their loved ones, but also strangers. 

In a TikTok video uploaded on June 1, Kok Mee Bin's son can be seen giving out some refreshments to workers painting the exterior walls of their home on what appeared to be a hot day. 

After Kok opened the window, her son passed packet drinks and snacks to workers on the gondola, earning smiles and thanks from them. 

The mum then encouraged her child to thank the workers for their work.

"Acts of kindness help children form connections that are positively associated with increased happiness," Kok wrote in the video's captions, and shared that she teaches her kids to show kindness to others as it provides them with "a greater sense of belonging and improved self-esteem". 

"The rush of endorphins related to helping others creates a sense of lasting pride, optimism and self-worth." 

AsiaOne has reached out to Kok for more information. 

In the comments section, netizens praised Kok for teaching her kids to show kindness to others from a young age.

Back in 2014, Kok discovered that her twin sons Victor and Vernon, then two years old, were not developing like their peers.

A year later, the boys were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To take care of them, she left her job in business development later that year. 

"We did not want to miss that opportunity. For me, I can find a new job anytime. But that period of time was very crucial [for my sons' development]," she told AsiaOne in an interview. 

Kok found it difficult to find resources to help her children, so she started her own business named BieCreatif, with the mission to help the development of children with special needs.

 

[Ender]

 

 

[Sosaria]

On 9/4/2023 at 5:26 PM, Ender said:

 

 

I don't know. I just feel that we are paid to do a job, and paid to do it properly. If we don't think it's a fair deal, then welcome to quit and find another job, not stay on and do a lousy job.

Only in Japan I find that workers, even lower-rung ones, take pride in their job and do it properly to high standard.

But leaving drinks outside for delivery worker is not that uncommon here in SG these days.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Sosaria