Rahul Pathania

In the first, Rahul and his volunteer partner helped tackle social isolation in the elderly community through a programme with our long-term partner Lakeside Family Services (LFS). Over several months, Shell volunteers called socially isolated seniors once a week and spent time simply talking to them and asking them how they were coping. Time would fly when Rahul and his partner were in the calls, as they spoke about topics from food to Singaporean history to health and family.

At one point when Rahul was particularly busy with work and had to miss a couple of sessions, he was nervous about how he’d be greeted by his new friend after a two-week absence. He didn’t have to worry though. The elderly resident welcomed him back with enthusiasm and they immediately picked up where they left off, like old friends.

“I felt heartened when I saw just how meaningful it was for her that both me and my Shell partner took time to speak to her together”, he shared with a smile.

For his second activity, Rahul joined the ShellxSWCDC customised grocery delivery drive. In this long-term partnership, Shell has adopted two rental blocks in Telok Blangah through the Southwest Community District Council (SWCDC)’s Adopt-a-Block initiative, and organises annual activities, such as care and share parties and home improvement programmes. In 2020, Shell adopted 16 families from these blocks and provided these families with groceries for six months.

For Rahul, the monthly calls to his beneficiary family to understand their grocery needs, followed by the personal contactless delivery of the items to their doorstep is something he looks forward to every month. He looks forward to chatting with them, and seeing the smiles on their faces when he goes to drop off the groceries.

As a child, he would accompany both his parents and grandparents on their visits to the vulnerable in their community, and he learned very early on how to communicate with people from different backgrounds. This is why he continues to spend as much time as he can caring for those in need.