.jpg "Volunteers from the Great Heart Charity Association hand out pre-packed lunch boxes to underprivileged individuals, who struggle to even have one meal a day. u00e2u20acu201d Picture courtesy of Great Heart Charity Association")
PETALING JAYA, Oct 10 — For most people, the hardest part about having our daily meals is thinking of what to eat.
But we may not realise that many less fortunate individuals struggle to even have one simple meal a day, like an RM2 nasi lemak.
What many Malaysians may not notice is that such a scenario fairly common, even in our own backyard.
That’s where non-profit organisations like the Great Heart Charity Association come in, as they aim to provide substantial and meaningful ways to help underprivileged people who face great living difficulties.
Great Heart Charity Association (GHCA) was established in 2010, by founder Franky See Swee Choy, and conducts most of their programmes at the Great Heart Community Centre (GHCC) based in Klang.
See initiated GHCA’s Lunch Box for the Hungry project back in 2016 upon finding out that there were many needy families within the vicinity of the GHCC who found it hard to put proper meals on their tables.
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At GHCC, members of the community centre serve thousands of nutritious packed lunches to nearly 300 individuals daily, from Tuesday to Saturday, as most of the beneficiaries are nearby residents who are either homeless, have no means of income and are from underprivileged families.
According to a press releas from GHCA, the free lunch boxes are donated by partner organisations and kind-hearted individuals, which are distributed to both pre-registered beneficiaries and walk-ins.
Sadly, these lunches are given out on a “first come, first served” basis as there is only so much food to go around, and for most of the beneficiaries, the lunch boxes are their only meal of the day.
Most of the beneficiaries, however, do not see these lunches as handouts either, as many of them come back to the community centre to work as volunteers and give back to society.
One such beneficiary and volunteer is Wong Chik Yee, 79, who makes a living by transporting and selling carton boxes on her bicycle.
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But one day Wong was left in an unfortunate predicament and faced grave difficulty when her bike was stolen, which meant that she could no longer visit GHCC and get her meals.
Seeing her struggle, GHCA decided to get her a new bicycle, and Wong never forgot their kindness as she now frequently visits the community centre to help keep the GHCC in pristine condition as she voluntarily helps out with gardening work and cleaning duties.
Although, her efforts may be in vain, as the Lunch Box for the Hungry programme at GHCC may come to an abrupt end, with the owner of the premise in Klang looking to sell off the property, which will disrupt all charity programmes that are currently being run at the centre.
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To keep their beneficiaries hopes alive, and continue helping those in need, GHCA aims to raise RM1.15 million to buy over the premise from the current owner.
Being a non-profit organisation, that feat is easier said than done, which is why the GHCA and all its beneficiaries aim to enlist the help of the public by organising their 7th edition of a charity fundraising gala dinner.
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The GHCA Charity Fundraising Gala Dinner will be held on November 23 at IDCC Mall in Shah Alam, with the theme “Home of Kindred Spirits”, as they hope to gain crucial support from the public to continue serving the needy around Klang at GHCC.
Ticket packages for a table at the charity gala, which seats 10 people, will be sold at RM2,000, RM5,000, RM10,000, RM30,000 and RM50,000.
For more information on ticket purchases and inquiries, you can contact Great Heart Charity at 03-51316107 or visit http://bit.ly/ghca7th
Alternatively, if you’re not able to make it for the dinner and want to help out in any way, you can e-mail [email protected]
