Project C.A.N. ("Collection in Aid of the Needy") was first initiated in 2004 to collect CAN food to assist the needy in the most basic of human necessities - food. Canned food and dry rations are collected from the public, and then distributed to the beneficiaries. This project is the only CSC project that does not have any activities in the NUS compound. The execution of this project takes place entirely on external grounds.
Project C.A.N. 2007 took place in the month of July, and the project was divided into 3 phases, 'CAN Collect’, 'CAN Challenge, and 'CAN Distribute’. CAN 2007 was in partnership with Toa Payoh Central Community Youth Executive Committee, who gave us tremendous support by obtaining perimission to do our canned food collections within the Toa Payoh and Bishan district. The targeted beneficiaries are members of the Public Assistance Scheme.
Project Director Calvin Lee, with Michelle Li and Wu Derui took up this project setting the objectives to provide the volunteers with a memorable volunteering experience, gather a large pool of volunteers, recognizing the efforts of every volunteer and most importantly, ensure that all the food recipients are worthwhile recipients to help raise the awareness of these beneficiaries to the public.
In the CAN Collect phase, 300 student volunteers went from door-to-door in Toa Payoh and Bishan HDB flats, collecting boxes of canned food and dry rations from the residents. CAN Challenge saw collection booths set up at NTUCs at Toa Payoh and Bishan, to encourage shoppers to buy non-perishable foodstuffs and donate them to our project. Volunteers do active canvassing within the NTUCs to fulfill this objective. An experience very rewarding as it helps to raise the awareness of the various beneficiaries in the public eye. In the last stage - CAN Distribute, the volunteers and OC distribute the collected foods to our beneficiaries. A very heartwarming experience as we see the smiles on the faces of the elderly and sick beneficiaries when they receive the food stuffs.