A GROUP of Malaysians has gathered to prepare and serve home-cooked meals to underprivileged communities affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The group of about 30 home cooks work through social messaging app WhatsApp to deliver food aid in the Klang Valley.

Collectively, they have been cooking and serving more than 3,000 meal packets a week since July to assist the needy.

Founder of the project Siamy Tan, a 54-year-old architect, said she decided to start the programme after seeing the suffering.

“This initiative started from a WhatsApp group that was created for home cooks to share recipes.

“Through this group, I then invited people to join this food aid effort.

“For me, we should be part of the solution in helping the underprivileged, instead of complaining,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

She and her husband started the initiative in May this year when they managed to feed about 200 people a week.

“As time went by, we managed to get more home cooks to join us and we were able to provide more meals.”

To date, Siamy and her team have provided almost 23,000 meals.

She said they do accept donations but at times the home cooks will use their own money to purchase the supplies.

The meals are cooked in the volunteers’ respective kitchens, and then sent to pick-up points where the civil society groups, who will be on standby, collect and distribute them to the community.

Mahi Ramakrishan of Beyond Borders said the recipients were in the B40 group, living in people’s housing projects; people in quarantine; migrant workers, refugees, homeless and LGBT communities.

“We serve a variety of food, including satay, fried rice, mixed rice with chicken and fish, etc.

“The chefs prepare, we manage the delivery and the civil society groups distribute the food.

“We send the meals to community leaders we have worked with for years. These leaders have the expertise and know-how to decide who needs the food,” said Mahi.

In July, elderly folk and people with disabilities were among those seeking help by flying a white flag as the lockdown dragged on with no end in sight.

Some said they would have committed suicide if not for the white flag movement, which began on social media in response to the growing number of people in need of assistance.

Activists, analysts and politicians had said the movement was a symbol of Malaysians’ anger toward the government for to its failure to bring the pandemic under control and its lack of strategies to ensure people keep their livelihoods.

The white flag movement on social media began on June 28, the day after then-prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced a RM150 billion Pemulih aid package and extending the movement control order, already in place for a month, for an indefinite period, further triggering public anger.

It is not clear who started the white flag movement but posts appeared on social media, urging those who needed help or food to raise a white flag outside their homes, and others to respond by giving assistance. – August 24, 2021.