With every difficult season comes a few local heroes that emerge to help out those who need it most.
Recently, a caring husband-and-wife duo who were concerned about the well-being of the needy during the MCO decided to do what they can to provide for their community by leaving a stocked shelf outside their home in Taman Murni, Parit Buntar with grocery items for whoever needs the essentials.
“We started this initiative since the MCO began and have spent more than RM2,000 on the foodstuff so far,” said Kamaruddin Shah, a self-employed man, who along with wife, Dr Nurulakmal Sharif, have been leaving sundry goods like rice, flour, sugar and dry food in the cabinet outside their house since the start of the order, reports the Star.
“We are fortunate to have friends and family members who donated money to get more food items to meet the demands of families requiring these items.” Kamaruddin even said that the shelf is filled without his knowledge sometimes by those around the neighbourhood who want to help out as well.
“There are also times that we find the shelf filled with items without our knowledge,” said the kind local, adding that the shelf was open to the public for use at anytime.
While the initiative was initially aimed at helping people around their neighbourhood, Kamaruddin said the project, now known as Gebok Rezeki, has benefitted about 100 people so far! “Initially it was just for the needy staying near our house but we now have people coming from other areas like Bagan Tiang, Tanjung Piandang and Sungai Aceh, Penang, to get the free groceries.”
“They are allowed to take whatever they need as it is tough for some people to get food supplies during the MCO. We are doing our best to help those who are less fortunate.”
But this isn’t the first time the couple felt called to help a community in their time of need, “my wife and I distributed foodstuff to flood victims in Kelantan in 2014,” said Kamaruddin, adding that they had also packed grocery items and distributed them to the less fortunate during fasting month.
“Since movement is restricted, we came up with the idea for a shelf stocked with essential items instead.” Nonetheless, the kind couple acknowledged how considerate their neighbours had been despite the growing number of people coming to pick up items from the shelf.
“They are aware of our initiative to assist those who need these items during the MCO. We hope more people will carry out similar initiatives in their neighbourhoods as many have lost their source of income. As Malaysians, we need to help each other out during these tough times.”
Kudos to this couple for making a difference with what they have! We hope this inspires you to help out those around you in any way you can.
Also read: Old Woman On The Brink Of Starvation In Taman Sri Murni Finally Given Food By Kind Neighbours
