Soup kitchens, DBKL work together to feed needy

NGOs to send supplies to three community halls for distribution to urban poor

PETALING JAYA: Soup Kitchens will now work together with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to feed the urban poor in the Klang Valley.

These non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will prepare the food and send it over to three community halls in the city where it will be handed over to DBKL, or Rela officials, for distribution to the needy.

“This is a win-win for us,” Need to Feed the Need (NFN) field operations head Adora Yusuf told theSun yesterday.

Under the new procedure, Pusat Komuniti Sentul Perdana, Pusat Komuniti Setiawangsa and Dewan

Serbaguna Alam Damai will serve as collection centres for the food for distribution.

Apart from NFN, the NGOs involved in the effort are Pertiwi Soup Kitchen, Ketchara, NGOhub, Caring Hearts, Pink Squad, Samaritan Hope, Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department and Institute Onn Jaafar.

As the designated NGOs, they will coordinate the effort with authorities.

“We already have the capability and the system is in place,” Adora said.

She said not all the beneficiaries are homeless.

“Some are working people who have fallen on hard times. They need all the help they can get, and this is our area of expertise,” she said.

NFN now feeds 300 to 400 people a day.

The decision to implement the new procedure was made at a meeting with DBKL representatives yesterday.

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had earlier announced groups providing food to the poor and homeless during the MCO period would have to divert their supplies to government agencies which would take over the task of distributing the food.

He said this was necessary to curb the spread of Covid-19.

A total of 213 people, 195 of whom are Malaysians, are now staying in three community centres.