At first glance, Ming Fa Fishball Noodles looks like just another hawker stall in Singapore’s bustling food courts. The familiar aroma of broth, fishballs, and noodles floats through the air, pulling you in. But if you linger long enough, you’ll notice something unusual—an elderly man smiling as he sits down, another woman chatting softly to the stall auntie, both cradling bowls they didn’t have to pay for.
“I come here to eat with other people… I don’t want to eat alone,” one elderly customer quietly shared.
For many seniors, this stall is not just about fishball noodles—it’s about finding a place to belong.
Why This Matters to Parents Too
Source: Give.Asia
As Singaporean parents, we often think about the future—our children’s education, careers, and well-being. But here’s the thing: the elderly you see at hawker centres today once built our nation’s schools, roads, and homes. They worked hard, raised families, and made sacrifices so the next generation could have better. Now, too many of them face their golden years in isolation, eating whatever is cheap and quick, often alone.
That’s why Ming Fa Fishball Noodles’ initiative strikes such a chord. It isn’t just charity. It’s a reminder of how community care circles back—what we model now is what our kids will inherit later.
Carrying the Family Flame
Source: Jerome Lim
Meet Jerome Lim, the third-generation owner of Ming Fa Fishball Noodles. His story begins far from the hawker world.
“Actually, I’m a banking and finance student. I graduated first class during my uni time,” Jerome says. “I went to do a lot of finance jobs like insurance, but only one time I see that my dad is old then I feel it would be a waste if my grandfather legacy disappeared just because no one took over.”
From a humble pushcart in 1946 to a chain of ten outlets today, Ming Fa’s journey is about more than food. It’s about values—family, humility, and service.
Jerome recalls, “My dad didn’t explicitly lay out any non-negotiable but I knew one thing was important to him—the people. So he treated his staff like family. Many of them have been with him for more than 20 years.”
Fishball Noodles as Acts of Kindness
In 2025, Ming Fa partnered with Give.Asia to serve 1,000 free bowls of fishball noodles each month to elderly Singaporeans. It’s a simple idea with profound impact.
Source: Jerome Lim
“Honestly, actually we came about through a collaboration with Give.Asia,” Jerome explains. “We have been doing it since starting of the year, January 2025. So, I just hope we can play a small part in contributing to the society even as a micro SMB in Singapore like us. Sometimes it’s the little things that makes a difference.”
And food in Jerome’s family has never just been about filling bellies. “Food isn’t just food. It’s how we show up for people. It’s how we say, you matter,” he says.
The Taste of Legacy
If you’ve ever eaten at Ming Fa, you know their signature.
Source: Jerome Lim
“We call it the four heavenly king,” Jerome laughs. “The first one is, of course, our fishball noodle. The second one is our minced pork noodle. Then the third one is our laksa. And the last one is our mini wok noodle. These four dishes will be in all our outlets. These four are a definite must-try for all our readers.”
The recipes are tried and tested, but the philosophy behind them is even stronger. Jerome shares his family’s business motto: “Since my grandfather’s generation, we have a phrase called ‘three good one reasonable.’ The three goods are good quality, good hygiene, and good service. And the one reasonable thing—it’s the reasonable price.”
That’s how Ming Fa has endured for nearly 80 years.
Lessons for the Next Generation
For Jerome, this is about more than feeding strangers. It’s about teaching his own future children what truly matters.
Source: Jerome Lim
“As long as you can give, you should give,” he reflects. “Kindness isn’t measured by the size of the gesture but by the heart behind it. Even a small act like us maybe can go a long way.”
Source: Jerome Lim
And isn’t that the lesson all of us as parents want our children to absorb? That humility matters. That community is family, too. That one bowl of fishball noodles, given freely, can mean the world to someone.
How You Can Help
The good news is, you can be part of this story.
Jerome puts it simply. “We already have the recipes. The stalls. The hands. What we need now is support—to reach even more elderly Singaporeans who could use a little help.”
Your donation through Give.Asia funds more free bowls of noodles. A monthly contribution helps Ming Fa plan ahead, cook more, and make sure seniors keep coming back to a warm welcome. And if giving isn’t possible right now, you can still spread the word—because sharing the story is how community grows.
One Bowl at a Time
So next time you’re out with your kids, consider stopping by Ming Fa Fishball Noodles—not just for the food, but for the reminder of what matters.
Because food is never just food. It’s belonging. It’s memory. It’s kindness passed from one generation to the next.
And perhaps that’s the quiet power of a bowl of fishball noodles. It tells us that care doesn’t always have to be loud or sweeping. Sometimes it shows up in small gestures, repeated faithfully, until they ripple outward into something larger than we imagined.
In the end, what Jerome and his family are building isn’t just a business. It’s a culture of remembering—remembering our elders, our roots, and the shared table that makes us more than individuals.
If we’re lucky, our children will grow up not only knowing this taste but also understanding the spirit behind it. Because one day, they’ll be the ones deciding what kind of community Singapore becomes.
A bowl of noodles may not change the world. But it can remind us of the kind of world we want to leave behind.
