Willing Hearts, Willing CYSians
- admin cys
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
A Report by CYS Global Remit Digital Media Marketing Team
Last Saturday morning, our CYS team traded their office desks for aprons and hairnets as they headed down to volunteer at Willing Hearts. For a few hours, spreadsheets and emails were replaced with chopping boards, trays of ingredients, and the steady rhythm of a very busy kitchen.
About Willing Hearts
Willing Hearts is a secular, non-affiliated charity that operates one of Singapore's largest soup kitchens. Every day, the organisation prepares and distributes around 9,000 hot meals to beneficiaries including the elderly, low-income families, children, and migrant workers. Seeing the scale of the operation up close was both humbling and inspiring — the kitchen runs like a well-coordinated machine, powered almost entirely by volunteers.
Hitting the Ground Running
Upon arrival, the CYS team was quickly split into stations across the kitchen. Roles included:
Vegetable cutting
Rice packing and preparation
Freezer logistics
Bakery work
Fish marinating and frying
Chicken marinating
Dishwashing
Within minutes, the kitchen was buzzing with activities. What might normally take hours in a home kitchen was happening here on a much larger, well-drilled scale.
A Highlight: The Bakery Station
One of the most enjoyable corners of the kitchen was the bakery station, where a team of CYSians took on the task of baking almond cookies. The process involved rolling dough into small pieces before carefully brushing each one with beaten egg yolk for a golden finish.
As trays went into the oven, the smell of freshly baked cookies filled the air. When the first batch emerged — warm and perfectly browned — a few pieces were sampled for quality control. The verdict was unanimous: excellent.
The Fish Station (and a Familiar Plot Twist)
Over at the fish preparation area, things were happening on a much larger scale. A team of around 10 to 15 volunteers formed a busy assembly line — frozen fish were wheeled out from the freezer, sorted and cut, then generously coated in turmeric marinade before being prepared for frying.
This was also where one of the more amusing moments of the morning unfolded.
The CYS Pantry Services Team — the very colleagues who prepare daily meals for staff at the office — had initially hoped to take on different roles. After all, cooking is already part of their everyday work.
The kitchen, however, had other plans.
One by one, familiar faces began appearing at the fish station as extra hands were needed. Before long, several of them were fully absorbed in the marinating process. Watching them work was quietly fascinating — their speed and efficiency quickly revealed the difference between experienced kitchen hands and enthusiastic beginners.
More Than Just a Morning's Work
Across the kitchen, every station had its own rhythm:
Vegetable cutters kept ingredients flowing steadily
Rice packing teams worked at a consistent pace
The dishwashing station ensured trays and utensils were always ready for the next round
More importantly, the atmosphere remained cheerful throughout. Colleagues who normally interact through meetings and emails were working side by side, sharing laughs while contributing to something genuinely meaningful.
By the end of the shift, the team had played a small part in supporting the thousands of meals that Willing Hearts prepares every single day — a rewarding reminder that even a few hours of volunteering can make a real difference.
