Meals on Wheels (MOW) Food Bank - Helping hand from Dupont's staff

We were delighted to have staff from Dupont joining us in MOW Food Bank delivery of groceries last Monday, 20th Oct. It was the first of Dupont's CSR initiative, and the staff were eager to contribute to this cause.

First stop was to Mdm Ngai and her boys in Kepong.

Then onwards to Mdm Wena who was about to leave for work. Then to Ng Geok Poh's flat where the husband was waiting for us with his trolley.

We got to the Chok's flat in Jinjang just as Lucas and his grandma reached home after school. Lucas was not in a good mood and refused to smile although Bro Ivan was teasing him.

The last house we visited was Mr Maran in Sentul. Both husband and wife were out, but the children welcomed us. I must say Sasi is looking well despite giving us a scare a few weeks ago when he was in the ICU. Doctors said his lungs are badly damaged but he must have a very strong will to live. When I called out his name, he gave me a beautiful smile ... made my day!

Thank you to our new group of volunteers from Dupont and we hope the experience last Monday will inspire them to press on with more CSR activities.

And of course, thank you to all our generous donors to our MOW Food Bank program for your continued support.

Posted and pictures by: Kim

Meals on Wheels (MOW) Food Bank - Dedicated volunteers ensure groceries are delivered every month

Without fail, our regular MOW volunteers (Brother Andrew, Bro Ivan and Bro Swee Keong) will spend a good part of their Sunday morning, every month, to deliver groceries to our MOW Food Bank families. Their commitment to this task is truly commendable, and very much appreciated.

Groceries were delivered to families in PPR Desa Rejang and Gombak Setia.

Thank you to our donors of MOW Food Bank Program ... your kind contribution ensures the families and their children do not go to school hungry.


Posted by: Kim
Pictures courtesy of: Bro Ivan

Meals on Wheels (MOW) Food Bank - Giving in the spirit of Merdeka

“Malaysia where love grows”, the theme for 57th Merdeka celebration ... this describes exactly what Meals on Wheels is trying to achieve, i.e. to encourage GIVING, SHARING, CARING AND LOVING especially with the less fortunate.

In our MOW Food Bank delivery yesterday, we distributed Malaysian flags to our recipients who happily waved the flags displaying their patriotism and grateful for the help they are receiving from a caring society.

One of the recipient, Mr Maran and his family have been in our MOW Food Bank program for the past 2 years. His family recently went through a traumatic time as his 14 year old son, Sasi who has cerebral palsy (and blind), was admitted to the ICU in KLGH, with serious lung infection, high fever and difficulty in breathing. With proper care from the good doctors, and a very loving family, plus all the prayers and blessings, he was finally discharged 3 days ago. He was in the hospital for almost a month. His mother, Vijaya, said he is "50% okay". Doctor from KLGH now visits Sasi at home once a week.

Sasi and his Mother in the hospital.

Mr Maran and his boys in Sentul, with Bro Swee Keong

Uncle Chin and his family in Sg Besi

Mdm Ngai and her chubby youngest boy in Kepong, with Bro Ivan

Wena and her son Fei Hong in Jinjang

Mr Leong with his groceries, to be shared with his diabetic wife and a brother-in-law who had kidney failure.

And last but not least, our Bro Andrew with his favourite "kids" in Jinjang

Thank you to our kind donors of the MOW Food Bank program who made sure these families have food on their table.

Posted by: Kim
Pictures courtesy of: Bro Ivan

Meals on Wheels (MOW) Food Bank - Groceries in time for Hari Raya Puasa

MOW Food Bank groceries for July were delivered to 11 families in PPR Taman Melati and PPR Desa Rejang this morning by our "veteran" volunteers Bro Swee Keong and Bro Andrew, and a new volunteer, Sis Jocelyn.

As usual, our dedicated volunteers wore their big SMILES during the delivery, a reflection of their joy in being able to do their bit to help the less fortunate.

While Bro Andrew shouldered the box of groceries and a bag of 10kg rice up 4 flights of stairs to deliver to Puan Fazilah, Bro Swee Keong handed over groceries to Puan Zabiyah and Puan Padmini, all in Taman Melati.

Since I was there early with a couple of friends,  we also visited our Happy Child Siti Nurmaisara (suffering from Cystic Fibrosis), who was recently discharged from GHKL after being treated for dengue fever for the past 3 weeks. Unfortunately, the dengue fever caused her sugar level to rise and she is now being treated for diabetes with insulin.

These friends actually came along to present "duit raya" to the Malay families, a generous amount of RM500 per family.

We then proceeded to PPR Desa Rejang, where another 8 families received their groceries.

Six Malay families in this PPR also received their "duit raya" which will definitely come in handy for last minute purchases of new clothes and raya cookies.

Puan Fazidah and her family were delighted with the surprise gift. Her eldest daughter did well in her SPM exam last year and is now doing matriculation in a local university.

Aida, who is our very capable "leader" in Desa Rejang, also helped us source for an orphanage for us to celebrate Raya. Do look out for our blog post on this very soon.

We truly appreciate the generosity of our donors for the groceries and the "duit raya" and of course our volunteers who helped with the delivery today ... a BIG THANK YOU on behalf of the families.

We wish all our Muslim brothers and sisters, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin.

Posted by: Kim
Pictures courtesy of: Kim

MOW FOOD BANK - Another Sunday spent delivering groceries to poor families

Despite the school holiday season whereby most fathers would be busy spending quality time with their children, Bro Ivan and Bro Swee Keong were delivering groceries to MOW FOOD BANK families, and this took up almost the whole of their Sunday. Bro Andrew also helped in the delivery and at the same time visited his numerous "adopted" children during the delivery.

Their dedication in ensuring the families receive their monthly supply of groceries is indeed something to shout about, and the families are truly grateful for these volunteers' compassion.

Strong muscles were needed for the heavy load but it was no problem for our volunteers! The task began from our centre in Penchala with the loading of the items into the MOW van.

And of course, the families helped out in the carrying of the load too.

The families receiving the groceries were all smiles, happy to have the assurance of food on the table for at least the next 2-3 weeks.

And last but not least, A BIG THANK YOU to our generous donors:

Yu Chee Koon
Tan Kai Ming
R.G.
Stone Empire
Joyce Ong
Celine Yong Chooi Ping
C.S.H.
Angie
In memory of Mdm Lam Sum Ying
Peter Liew
Felicia Ong
LGB group
Chew Yoo Wee

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!


Posted by: Kim
Pictures courtesy of: Bro Ivan

MOW FOOD BANK - Ensuring food on the table for 20 families

We hit another milestone in our effort to reach out and help the urban poor - we now have 20 families in our MOW FOOD BANK program.

Last Tues, 5th Nov 2013, Bro Ivan, Bro Andrew and Bro CF spent a good part of their Awal Muharram holiday delivering groceries to these 20 families in Sentul, Setapak, Gombak, Sg Besi, Jinjang and Kepong.

The families were eagerly waiting for the supplies as we were a little late with the October deliveries due to the long weekend of Deepavali.

This would not have been possible without the generous contributions from our generous donors:

Yu Chee Koon
Tan Kai Ming
R.G.
Stone Empire
Joyce Ong
Celine Yong Chooi Ping
C.S.H.
Angie
In memory of Mdm Lam Sum Ying
Peter Liew
Felicia Ong
LGB group
Chew Yoo Wee

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!


Posted by: Kim
Pictures courtesy of: Bro Ivan

MOW FOOD BANK - New family from Kepong

Mdm Ngai lives in Kepong with her husband and 3 sons. Her husband, Mr Lim has kidney failure and goes for dialysis 3x/week at NKF. He used to work as an excavator operator but stopped work 7 years ago because of his illness. The wife is also not well and visits UH every 2 months to get medication for fits.

Their 3 sons, aged 14, 13 and 8 years are all very good students. The eldest boy scored 6As and the second boy scored 3As and 3Bs in their UPSR. The children loves to read and goes to the nearby Aeon store to read for free.

As both husband and wife are not working, they rely on donations for their livelihood and receive RM1,020 a month from the following generous groups:
Social welfare – RM320
Church – RM200
Kwan Yin temple - RM200
Tzu Chi – RM300

They also receive groceries from a private individual every 2 months. During Chinese New Year, they receive between RM500-1000 from several politicians, but this varies from year to year. Fortunately, the loan for their apartment has been fully settled.

Their monthly expenses (excluding food and other household items) amount to about RM750 per month and comprise:

• Maintenance & sinking fund – RM93
• Water – RM40
• Electricity – RM130
• Telekom & internet (for children's school research) – RM116
• Mdm Ngai’s medicine – RM30
• Taxi fares for Mdm Ngai to UH – RM19
• Mr Lim’s petrol for bike to dialysis – RM50
• School bus fares for 2 older sons – RM50 x 2 = RM100
• School fees for youngest son – RM38
• Tuition fees for youngest son – RM11
• Pocket money for school (all 3 boys) – RM5 x 25 days = RM125

After paying off their monthly dues, they are left with very little for food and other household items. This family needs help to feed and provide for their children, as the children is the family’s way out of poverty.

How you can help:

1. We are seeking sponsorship of RM100 per month for groceries for this family to include them into our MOW FOOD BANK program. If you wish to sponsor this family for the MOW FOOD BANK program, you can deposit your donation into our account:

Account Name: Ti-Ratana Community Centre Penchala
CIMB Account No: 14660000259057

Please email a copy of the deposit slip to June at trccpenchala@gmail.com, and let her know how many months of groceries you would like to sponsor.

2. If you would like to help the family in other ways (i.e. other than the monthly groceries for the MOW FOOD BANK program), please contact June at trccpenchala@gmail.com or call +603-7784 9002 / +6012-2409020. She will provide you with the contact details of the family, and you can donate to them directly.

Thank you for your compassion and generosity in helping this family.


Posted by: Kim
Pictures courtesy of: Kim

MOW FOOD BANK - New volunteers helped deliver groceries on 29 Sep 2013

When Bro Ivan informed me that there will be almost 30 new volunteers coming for last Sunday's delivery of groceries for our MOW FOOD BANK program, I was a little apprehensive. That Sunday was the day of the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon and many roads in downtown KL were closed, parking is very limited at the PPR flats and the homes of our FOOD BANK families are typically very small and can hardly accommodate a dozen visitors in the living room.

However, we have big plans for our MOW FOOD BANK program next year and we are in need of volunteers who can commit to helping us with the monthly deliveries of groceries. So we pushed on with the delivery with 30 new volunteers and the regulars - Ivan, Andrew and myself.

After a briefing at our Penchala centre, the new volunteers, who call themselves CP 28 helped us load the groceries into our MOW van.

With so many pairs of hands, they passed the boxes of groceries from one person to another, like a factory production line, and completed the loading in no time at all!

The loading was supervised by our veteran volunteer, Bro Andrew.

 After a group picture, we were all ready to push off by 10:45am.

First stop was Mr Maran's house in Sentul, where the volunteers had their first experience of the environment of a PPR flat. The volunteers decided to split themselves into 3 groups, and only a third went up to the flat as they didn't want to overwhelm the family.

Then we moved on to Jinjang to visit Chloe and Lucas.

Followed by deliveries to Mdm Ng and her husband in the adjoining block.

Last stop in Jinjang was delivery to Wena and her son, Fei Hoong.

By then, it was almost 1pm and we stopped at a hawker centre in Jinjang for yong tau foo lunch and drinks. Ais kacang had never tasted so refreshingly yummy as it was a super hot day!

After Jinjang, most of the new volunteers had other plans for the rest of the day. So, four of them hopped into our van and we moved on to Desa Rejang.

One of the volunteers saw a couple of CPUs in Aida's flat and when Aida told us "semua rosak", he offered to take the CPUs back to his office to repair. A new volunteer and able to fix/repair things ... MOW is truly fortunate to get volunteers like him.

As we were leaving Aida's house, we bumped into Kak Ummi, another FOOD BANK family, who was pushing a trolley of thrash (to be sold later for some money to feed her family) which she went around collecting with her Cucu on a hot afternoon. It was such a heartbreaking sight ... to see an old makcik and a little girl having to resort to this to get a few extra ringgit.

Then we moved on to Gombak where we visited our HAPPY CHILD Siti Nurmaisara at her home.

While Bro Andrew guarded the van with our precious commodities:)

Our last stop was Sg Besi where the Chins were waiting for their goodies.

By the time we got back to Penchala centre, it was almost 4pm. We were all tired, but happy that we accomplished our mission to deliver groceries to 18 families in 5 hours, and even had time for lunch:)

Thank you to our new volunteers from CP 28 for participating in our FOOD BANK delivery. We truly hope you will continue to support us in our future deliveries and other projects.

And of course, our gratitude to the following donors for this month's groceries:

Yu Chee Koon
Tan Kai Ming
R.G.
Stone Empire
Joyce Ong
Celine Yong Chooi Ping
C.S.H.
Angie
In memory of Mdm Lam Sum Ying
Peter Liew
Felicia Ong
LGB group




Posted by: Kim
Pictures courtesy of: Kim