Navy Region Singapore volunteers with ‘Willing Hearts’

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Veloicaza | SINGAPORE (May 21, 2016) - U.S. Navy LT. Matthew Sargent, special mission ships officer, Military Sealift Command Far East (MSCFE), prepares and cooks multiple trays of white rice during a volunteer event at Singapore's Willing Hearts charity organization and soup kitchen May 21, 2016. Sargent, along with four other Sailors participated in a community relations event as part of a theater-specific training course with MSCFE. (Official U.S. Navy photo by Marc Ayalin)  

SINGAPORE

05.21.2016

Story by Christopher Veloicaza 

Singapore Area Coordinator

SINGAPORE (May 21, 2016) – Several Sailors assigned to Military Sealift Command, Far East (MSCFE) in Singapore took some time out of their Saturday morning to volunteer at Willing Hearts charity organization May 21, 2016.

The five-man team arrived early at the Chai Chee Community Hub in Singapore where Willing Hearts operates 365 days a year. The charity organization distributes over 5000 meals daily to more than 80 distribution centers, island wide. Volunteer drivers deliver the meals to a variety of recipients who mostly consist of elderly, disabled and lower-income households.

Of the five Sailors who volunteered, four are reserve-component sailors undergoing their annual training commitments. According to U.S. Navy LT. Matthew Sargent, special missions ships officer for MSCFE, this is a great opportunity for these strategic sealift officers, who are undergoing theater-specific training, to be immersed in local culture and give back to the community.

“While they’re here we like our new Sailors to learn about the culture,” said Sargent. “So we coordinated this community relations event with the Chaplain’s office to help out at the Willing Hearts soup kitchen. It is a great opportunity for a positive cultural experience.”

Throughout the morning, three of the five volunteers prepared and cooked several hundred pounds of white rice by first washing and rinsing it and then cooking them in large trays filled with water. They then loaded the trays in industrial-sized ovens designed to cook multiple items at once. In addition to preparing rice, two Sailors assisted in washing dozens of pots, pans, trays and cooking utensils in order to keep the cooks supplied with clean cookware.

For Willing Hearts founder and director, Mr. Tony Tay, this is a daily grind that cannot work without the valued donations and support from the community. This support includes local schools, military, and corporate, private and governmental organizations along with individual donations as well. According to Tay, much of the support generated comes from word-of-mouth more than anything.

“Once people spread the word about what we do here and who we impact, they all come,” Tay said. “If the birds and fish aren’t worried about eating, why should we? We haven’t missed our daily goal yet.”

For the U.S. Navy volunteers, providing a service such as this is time well spent.

“It feels wonderful to give back and work with the community here but more importantly it’s good to be contributing to something meaningful,” said LT. Mike Burbelo, an assistant marine transportation specialist with MSCFE and a Daytona, Fla. native.

According to Sargent, this is the first time they’ve conducted this type of volunteer effort. However, with more groups of strategic sealift officers conducting community relations projects throughout the year, they are hoping to build a relationship with Willing Hearts to provide more support in the future.

Meanwhile, the region continues its support for Tony Tay and Willing Hearts’ community-wide food distribution efforts to thousands of needy people throughout Singapore. The region and its tenant commands continuously seek other volunteer efforts and future community relations events throughout the Asia-Pacific.

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• Date Taken: 05.21.2016
• Date Posted: 05.25.2016 03:06
• Story ID: 199005
• Location: SG