GEORGE TOWN – Despite being called Penang’s urban poor, this segment of the population could still earn a decent living before poverty seeped in due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“These people have not always been poor. They all had jobs,” said Penang Hindu Association president P. Murugiah. “But, all it takes is for one person to fall sick and their savings used to pay off medical bills, or for the breadwinner to lose their job and, before long, run out of money to put food on the table.”
Murugiah told The Vibes that if the urban poor continue to be neglected, more people will end up on the streets due to rising costs of living.
On Wednesday, Penang Food Aid, in collaboration with Women of the Future, Caremongering Penang, So Convenient Store (SCS), Klinik Derma Sivasanta, and PHA, distributed sponsored food packages for 30 needy families.
The packages included rice, cooking oil, instant noodles, canned sardines, and eggs.
“Some of these families only have one meal a day because that is all they can afford.
“I know the people who came today to collect the (packages); life has not always been this tough for them.
“If this (issue) is not addressed as soon as possible, we will see more hungry people being thrown out of their rented homes onto the streets,” said Murugiah.
He believes the state government can do more and hopes the Penang Food Aid programme will continue to run and become more sustainable in order to benefit more people.
Penang Food Aid co-founder Chee Su Yin told The Vibes that it has achieved its target of providing 100 food aid boxes this month, with 60 having been distributed and the remainder to be distributed over the next few days.
“To sustain this project, we will definitely need more aid.
“In the beginning, we saw a lot of people contributing and that is why we reached the target so quickly.
“But the challenge is weathering the next 11 months, and relying on people to continue contributing so we can fulfil the commitments we now have,” she said.
Penang Food Aid is an initiative that provides food assistance worth RM50 directly to people who need it. Those interested in donating can visit the website to make their purchases, and SCS will pack the items before delivering them to the needy. – The Vibes, March 21, 2021
