Trolley Bags Used to ‘Chope’ Queue Spots at Taman Jurong CC, Free Food Distribution Cancelled After Chaos

Taman Jurong Community Club saw an unusual sight on 7 May: trolley bags, cardboard boxes, chairs, and strollers lined up neatly in place of people.

Ms Liu, a 32-year-old housewife, came across the scene around 4pm while passing through the CC foyer.

Trolley Bags Replace People in CC Queue System

The queue was for a free fruit and vegetable distribution scheduled for 7:30pm that evening. Despite the long, winding line of personal belongings, few people were visibly present.

Shin Min Daily News reporters visited the community club again on 21 May during the next distribution event, held from 2pm to 4:30pm.

The “queue” began forming around 1pm—consisting mainly of trolley bags, along with a few boxes, chairs, and a stroller. Only a handful of residents were physically present.

Around 80 residents showed up in person closer to 2pm, when the event began.

Madam Han, a 72-year-old housewife positioned at the front, arrived at 7am to secure her spot.

She and her friends placed their trolley bags early in the day but made a point to avoid cutting queues or causing conflict. They returned periodically to ensure their belongings remained undisturbed.

Mr Han, a 71-year-old retiree, noted that some residents reserved spots as early as 10 hours in advance — arriving at 4am or 5am for 2pm distributions, and at 3pm or 4pm for 7pm sessions.

One domestic helper queued several hours in advance on behalf of her busy employer.

Meanwhile, Madam Zheng, a 78-year-old retiree, gave up participating after finding the process too tiring and time-consuming. She cited frequent arguments among participants over queue-cutting.

Share A Pack Initiative Cancelled After Queue Chaos

According to residents, the “Share A Pack” food distribution programme has been running for an extended period.

A post on the Taman Jurong Kakis Facebook page described the initiative as a way to redistribute surplus food from businesses that is still safe to eat but would otherwise go to waste.

The programme aimed to reduce food waste and promote sustainable consumption by increasing appreciation for “ugly” food.

Distribution sessions began in 2022, initially twice monthly before expanding to three times per month.

Organisers distributed queue numbers, with residents collecting produce in numerical order. However, the system failed to prevent spot-saving and queue-cutting incidents.

A passerby observed individuals bringing entire families in an effort to claim as much produce as possible. They felt such behaviour could deprive others who might need the food more.

A domestic helper shared that her employer was busy, so she queued several hours early on their behalf.

One former participant described the scene as “chaotic,” saying the disorderly queues discouraged her from returning. She found the process too arduous and time-consuming, with frequent arguments breaking out over queue-cutting.

On 21 May, Taman Jurong Community Club announced on Facebook that all upcoming Share A Pack distribution sessions had been cancelled.

The cancellation affected the 23 May event and three others scheduled in June. No explanation was provided.