Leaving a Legacy of Kindness

It all began when his father heard a call for donations of rice to help low-income families on the radio and responded immediately with a contribution of 300 kg of rice. This charitable act became an annual affair in the years that followed, with more rice donated with each passing year. Although his father passed on many years ago, hawker stall owner Mr Koh Seng Tiang and his family have upheld this charitable tradition started by his late father Mr Koh Wee Teng and they are committed to continuing this spirit of charity.

Mr Koh remembers his father as a big-hearted man – whenever his friends came to the stall to ask for help, the older Mr Koh would never fail to offer loans of fifty or a hundred dollars. On his annual visits to relatives in China, he also gave generously, either through cash gifts or donations made to rebuild temples. Mr Koh said, “He didn’t put too much importance on money, and he was also soft-hearted, as long as he could help, he would never refuse.”

It was perhaps his generosity towards others that brought him good luck with his business. Madam Tan Cheng Zhu, Mr Koh’s mother, revealed that the family originally ran a stall selling chwee kuey in Upper Serangoon. It was back-breaking work for very little profit, with the rice cakes being sold at five for 20 cents. A regular customer, who often ate for free at the stall thanks to the older Mr Koh’s generosity, saw this and offered to teach him a secret recipe for mutton soup, enabling Mr Koh to set up Jing Jia Mutton Soup stall.

It turned out to be a successful business that enabled the senior Mr Koh to raise his family of four children, and his second son Mr Koh Seng Tiang subsequently went on to set up a branch, selling his father’s signature mutton soup at Haig Road Food Centre.

Although food stalls have seen their business hit heavily by restrictions on dining in due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Koh family stuck to their tradition of charitable giving, spending nearly $2,000 on a donation of 1,500 kg of rice last year.

Mr Koh said, “A hawker’s life is hard, but as long as our stall is running, we will have income, and as long as it’s within our means, we’ll do what we can to help.”