About Dignity Kitchen
In Singapore, only five out of every 100 persons with a disability is employed. Dignity Kitchen provides vocational training and employment in an effort to restore dignity to the differently-abled. The organization currently employs 70 workers, 58 of whom are disabled (and there are more than 300 people on the waitlist to join the program!). Workers are trained in food services-- preparing food in hawker stalls at their Serangoon headquarters as well as bento for delivery to elderly in several nursing homes and food catering.
The organization is registered as a social enterprise and was founded by Mr. Seng Choon Koh. The headquarters will move from Serangoon in late October. Dignity Mama is an affiliated organization that employs parents and their disabled adult children to sell donated used books at four hospitals (Khoo Tech Puat, Ng Teng Fong, NUH, SKH). To see an interview with Mr. Koh, please click here.
Location:
69 Boon Keng Rd,
#01 Red building,
Singapore 339772
Contact:
Events Manager: Cindy B
Opportunities for Girl Scouts
Heritage Learning Journey and Culinary Adventure
Dignity Kitchen would like to start doing “Heritage Learning Journey/Culinary Adventure” where groups pick out two of the following cuisines:
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Malay
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Chinese
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Peranakan
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Indian
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Eurasian
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Indonesian
The sessions would be three hours.
Date and Time: Mon-Sat 2:30-5:30pm.
Cost: $45 per girl, 12-16yo ideal
Maximum number of participants: 16
Knit-a-Mitt Session
Join elderly volunteers to learn basic knitting skills and make mittens and caps for needy newborns. This volunteer experience can be done on Saturdays at no cost. Later, interested girls can deliver the mittens and caps to a hospital in person if desired. Up to 20 girls at a time.
Social Mission Bake Sale
2-3 hour baking class with a Dignity Kitchen staff member (muffins can be made and bought for $1 each), items can be sold at school and proceeds can be used to buy bento for elderly.
Singapore Heritage Cuisine
Team building cooking class for 8-10 (choice of cuisine such as Peranakan, Malay, noodle) on a weekday. If the class is held in the morning, participants can visit the nearby wet market then make lunch together.
Hygiene class
Hygiene class for children or adults (parents or helpers). Can be done for $90 with certification of course completion from Dignity Kitchen or $176 with government-approved certification.
Additional options
For a more affordable experience, girls can learn to bake a cookie and make a card so that they can share their cooking with another. This could be done either as a parent/child experience or just the troop girls.
Dignity Kitchen would also like to collect ready-to-eat snacks such as bread, ramen, cookies to distribute to the elderly when they pass out 60+ bentos each Wednesday. Troops could also make greeting cards to attach to the bentos.
Book Retail Little Manager
Girls can clean and arrange books on site at Dignity Mama stalls at one of four area hospitals (Khoo Tech Puat, Ng Teng Fong, NUH, SKH), 2-3 girls at a time (ideally 9yo+), can be done on weekday or Saturday.
$1.99 (one-ninety nine) Delish Dish
Up to 8-10 girls can join a teacher on Saturday morning to learn basic cooking skills to prepare an affordable, nutritious meal. There is an opportunity to bond with Dignity Kitchen employees while cooking. Cost of class to be determined.
Catering
If anyone has a need for catering, bento can be delivered for around $10 (cost of food plus delivery). Cookie and muffin packages can also be purchased on site or delivered.