KECHARA Soup Kitchen (KSK), which has been serving marginalised communities in Malaysia since 2008, has embarked on a nationwide drive to collect food supplies for poor and needy communities who are struggling to meet basic food needs. 

The programme, launched in conjunction with World Food Day 2022, will run from today until the end of the month. 

KSK operations director Justin Cheah said that the group was currently struggling to provide food for 3,000 families nationwide since donations to the centre dropped by 30% early this year. 

He said that with the increase in the price of cooking oil and food, the group was finding it difficult to provide for needy families, the Orang Asli community, and single mothers. 

Cheah said that monthly costs to operate the centre and feed the poor, including those in Sabah and Sarawak, came up to RM120,000. 

“Because the prices of goods and food have gone up, the donations have started to drop. 

“We are finding it hard to make ends meet,” Cheah told The Malaysian Insight. 

KSK was founded by a group of concerned Malaysians in 2008. It started as a soup kitchen to feed the homeless and has since expanded to food storage and distribution services. 

They have six branches: two in Kuala Lumpur and the rest in Penang, Ipoh, Malacca, and Johor. 

Cheah said that early this year they had gained an additional 500 families to feed. 

“Currently we are using our reserves to make up for the shortage. It might last a year, but we don’t know what the price of food is going to be next year.” 

He said that their centres would be open throughout the week for those who couldn’t make it tomorrow. 

“This is to collect food supplies for the poor and needy communities who are struggling to meet basic food needs. 

KSK believes that there is a strong need to address food insecurity among those categorised as being in absolute poverty. 

He said that approximately 625,000 Malaysians became classified under the B40 category as a result of the Covid pandemic, and with the increase in prices of goods, their dependency on food banks was even greater. 

Cheah said that contributors could participate by dropping off food donations at their locations in Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown, Ipoh, Malacca, and Johor Baru. 

He said that the items could be rice, flour, cooking oil, instant noodles, sugar, biscuits, and canned food, among other things. 

One could also participate by purchasing and dropping off food donations at their partner hypermarkets, which are Lotus’s Malaysia (with stores in Tanjung Pinang, Station 18, Kepong, Malacca and Seri Alam) and AEON (Shah Alam).  In addition, volunteers would help promote the campaign at the collection bins. All donated items would be collected on October 16. 

Monetary donations could also be made online, with tax-exemption receipts issued on request from KSK’s general number +6010-333-3260. For more information, visit their website: www.kecharasoupkitchen.com. – October 16, 2022.