GEORGE TOWN – Although food and beverage business owners here are badly hit by the pandemic, they have come together to set up food banks outside their homes or outlets.
The publicity head of the yet-to-be-registered Penang F&B Association, Alvin Ooi, told The Vibes that a growing number of F&B owners are looking to offer aid to those in need.
“A week ago, we had a Zoom meeting and decided to use a single platform to not only drive sales but also provide for those in need.
“Why not come together, since each of us has a brand with our own customer base and regulars, to encourage the public to support F&Bs and at the same time support this campaign?
“The participating restaurants will pool a percentage of their sales to hit RM100,000. We have a target to have 1,000 packs comprising foodstuff and essential items such as soap. It will cost RM100 per pack,” he said.
The campaign, named Chiak-rity, is a wordplay between “chiak” (eat in the Hokkien dialect) and charity. The campaign was mooted by eight F&B players but has since grown to 28 at the time of writing.
Ooi hopes to hit 50 soon so they can launch it next week.
“We are trying to push this campaign as soon as possible because there are people in need now. If we delay, we might not be as effective as we want it to be.
“Our aim is to raise funds as fast as possible and distribute them, and we hope we can reach our target contribution within three to four weeks. Otherwise, we might have to get sponsors to top it up or extend the campaign,” said Ooi, who is the owner of Golden Bowl Enterprise Sdn Bhd.
The essential packs will be distributed by the Lions Club Association. They will also be checking kitajaga.co, a new site developed to make it easier for users to access information for help or to provide aid.
Meanwhile, Ooi said many business owners are running on reserve funds or loans.
“We are all losing money every month, and how much we lose depends on the size. The loss I am facing is in five figures,” he said.
Chiak-rity campaign president Rizal Shamsuddin told The Vibes that it was a way to create awareness among locals to be more alert to those who need aid, and also help small entrepreneurs stay afloat.
“Everyone is affected, no matter your status. It’s not just families, it's businesses too,” said the co-owner of Bricklin Cafe Bar.
“The pandemic has probably wiped most of us out in terms of finance and we hope to carry on without knowing the future.
“Each movement control order has brought us further to ground. Rental and staff salaries have to be paid whether there is income or not.
“As all are in dire straits, we just hope that going in as a group with a single voice may be heard, rather than as a single small entity fighting it all alone.
“We are not in this pandemic by choice. We fight as one,” he said. – The Vibes, July 9, 2021
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