SANDAKAN – With the extension of conditional movement control order (CMCO) here until November 9, more and more underprivileged Sabahans are turning to private food banks for help.
Those helping to distribute food packs to the poor are also reaching out to private donors via social media.
Actor Adrian Edy, 24, from Papar started a food bank to help the poor in Inanam.
He has placed a cabinet filled with foodstuff in a guard station of SK Pomotodon since last month and used social media to raise funds.
Adrian’s fellow entertainers, relatives and friends chipped in.
“Those who live nearby and want to donate can bring rice, sugar, eggs, flour, canned food, formula milk and more to be placed in the cabinet.
“The cabinet may be small, but it has helped more than 100 local families so far.”
Adrian said families in need in Inanam and Menggatal are welcomed to go take items they need.
“However, each family representative can only take four items a week.
“We do not want them to be dependent on our assistance, but at the same time we hope it will reduce their burden,” he said.
“On some days, people are queuing outside the school before we open the food bank at 7am. Their need for food makes me feel sad as some of these families have really run out of food.”
He said the most popular items are eggs, cooking oil, rice, sugar and canned sardines.
“I am opening another food bank in SK Tombongon, Menggatal. I have chosen these areas because I know there are a lot of families in need here.
“Also, I have two friends helping me to manage the people who come and fill up the cabinet.”
Adrian said after CMCO, he aims to donate stationery items to needy students.
Meanwhile, civil society groups have been calling for infant formula milk donation, especially after news emerged about a family in Kinabatangan that had to feed their children with sugar water.
A community internet centre supervisor in Kg Sentosa Jaya, Kinabatangan, Munira Ladis said she is moved to help the family after finding out they live 20km away.
Munira, a 34-year-old mother of two children, two weeks ago asked for anyone who wanted to donate formula milk.
“But the donation kept coming in. On the third day, I got about RM3,000 so I decided to help other families who are in need of formula milk.”
She with the help of a Muslim group in Kg Batu Putih had helped more than 80 families in Kg Batu Puteh, Kg Menggaris, Kg Perpaduan, Sentosa Jaya, Jaya Baru, Pengkalan and eight in three palm oil estates.
However, she has temporarily stopped her charity work as Kinabatangan has been declared a Covid-19 red zone.
Aminor Azmi Abdul Latip, vice-president of Semporna Heroes, a group that combines 25 civil service groups, had started the Susu4Semporna drive to get formula milk for those in need.
He said formula milk is not included in the government’s food packs, but is desperately needed by families with babies.
He launched the drive on his social media five days ago, targeting 1,000 tins of formula milk (costing about RM25,000) for families in Selakan island and Miaga island.
Aminor managed to distribute about 700 tins to date, but now Semporna is faced with a shortage.
“Once our fund reaches RM5,000, we will order directly from a Dutch Lady distributor in Tawau, and have them sent to Semporna.”
Aminor, who moved to Sabah from Pahang, operates a scuba diving business with locals in Selakan island.
With no tourists at the moment, Aminor said he is focused on helping the local community during this difficult period.
“I foresee that we will lose this business in the first quarter next year.
“Still, we want to help the people here. Many who are involved in the donation drives are those who have lost their jobs in tourism.
“We stick together as this is our country. It is our responsibility to get through this together. We will come back stronger.”
Aminor said the Sime Darby Foundation has donated formula milk, medical equipment worth RM60,000 to the Semporna hospital, and RM21,500 of dry food assistance to frontliners and patients.
The foundation has also donated RM14,500 in foodstuff and personal hygiene items to Selakan and Miaga residents.
To date, Aminor and his team have distributed food assistance and formula milk to 45 Malaysian families and 25 sea gypsy households in Selakan, and more than 100 undocumented families in Maiga. – The Vibes, October 26, 2020
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