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As the Chairman of the Rotoract Club in our school, I am
here to speak to you about an important service opportunity that we can
participate in to follow in the footsteps of our parent clubs, Rotary Club
and Inner Wheel Club. Today, I want to talk about the Pertiwi Soup Kitchen
and how we can offer our service in cash or in kind.
The Pertiwi Soup Kitchen is a Community Outreach Effort established and
managed by Pertubuhan Tindakan Wanita Islam (PERTIWI), one of Malaysia's
longest running NGOs. This project provides regular meals at various
locations around Kuala Lumpur on a regular basis to those who are in need.
Soup kitchens exist to provide basic meals to those who go hungry, not
because they are lazy or are looking for handouts, but because they simply
cannot get enough food or proper nutrition. The beneficiaries of this
program may include children, parents, and the elderly, some of whom are
homeless, jobless, and infirmed.
Malaysia's economic success and prosperity has ensured that hunger is not a
matter of not having any food at all, but whether those in need are getting
enough food on a regular basis. Moreover, it is our responsibility to care
enough to provide food to those who are less fortunate.
The Pertiwi Soup Kitchen project aims to distribute basic pre-packaged
healthy meals and clean water four nights a week in inner city neighborhoods
where various recipient groups are located. It also aims to raise awareness
of the number of hardcore poor in our city, encourage corporate and media
sponsorship, and regular volunteer participation to feed the hungry.
Additionally, the project aims to operate the program in a sustainable
manner that will enable it to serve an increasing number of people.
This humanitarian food-aid service is available to the hardcore poor
irrespective of race or religion. By interacting with various destitute
inner city communities on a regular basis, additional support programs can
be established to assist those who are ready for assistance to become more
independent. For instance, a Job Agency could be set up to source employment
for the healthy and able-bodied, temporary hostel facilities could be set up
for those unable to find cheap and affordable lodgings on getting
employment, and a Lending Agency could be established to tide new employees
over the first month of employment until they are paid.
The Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja has donated a Nissan Vanette C22 van
to be used for the distribution of meals. However, more volunteers are
needed to help in the preparation of meals, the packing of food packets, the
logistics of loading onto the transport vehicles, and to hand over these
meals to those unable to get to the soup kitchens themselves.
As members of the junior club, we can volunteer to help the Soup Kitchen on
a regular basis. We can be kitchen helps, food packers, members of the
cleaning and washing teams, and accompany the food distributors as they go
about in the city to hand freshly cooked food to the poor and the homeless.
This does not mean that we spend all our time at the Soup Kitchen, but that
we sacrifice our free time to lend a helping hand to a NGO to lift up the
spirits of the destitute.
In the future, Pertiwi hopes to provide a one-stop center for the soup
kitchen to function. Besides preparing hot meals, Pertiwi aims to provide
baths and laundry facilities so that the homeless and hardcore can avail
themselves of such basic needs.
To conclude, Pertiwi Soup Kitchen provides an important way to give back to
the community. We should take the initiative and participate in this worthy
cause, and our parent clubs, Rotary Club and Inner Wheel Club, should be
informed of our intentions. Together, we can serve the community one meal at
a time. |
