IPOH, Jan 28 — When the recent cold snap struck, most Malaysians may have reached for some warm clothes and a hot cup of coffee or tea.
But 35-year-old Issac Chin decided instead to do something different, by reaching out to his fellow man affected by the gloomy weather.
On the cold rainy night last weekend, Chin journeyed along the streets of Ipoh handing out pillows to the city’s homeless.
And two days later, after requesting for donations on Facebook, he did it again — only this time, with blankets.
Accompanied by his friends P. Balasundaram and Jasmine Lee, the air-conditioner dealer said he had taken advantage of an unexpected windfall to pass some kindness to the less fortunate.
“Bala’s sister works at a local hotel, and they happened to change some of their old pillows,” he told Malay Mail, referring to Balasundaram.
“He told me about the pillows, which would otherwise go to waste. So I decided to put them to better use.”
“There were about 30 pillows, and we walked around Ipoh in the rain to pass them to some of the homeless. It was heartwarming to see their reaction — some of them were very emotional,” he added.
But that was not the end, as Chin realised that those who slept on the streets were exposed to the brutality of the climate — especially the cold weather of recent weeks.
He then decided to appeal to his Facebook friends for help, asking them for blankets that they were not using.
Two days later, Chin and his friends went around the streets, handing out nearly 20 blankets as well as some food.
Chin and his friends were not even part of any organisation or group, but that had not stopped them from trying to help in the best way they knew how.
“I didn’t want to make a big deal about it because I didn’t want it to be complicated. The pillows and blankets came in our hands, and we gave them to people who really needed it,” said Chin.
“I always used to think how homeless people would feel during bad weather. It is so cold and wet, and they have nowhere to go.
“Once you put yourself in their shoes, you really understand how difficult things can be for them.”
This was not the first time Chin dabbled in volunteerism. As he recalled, he only met Balasundaram last November when they both volunteered to help victims of the devastating floods in Penang.
He said he hopes more people will donate to the homeless, and was open to more people joining him on future “donation trips”.
Asked when he plans to hit the streets next, Chin replied it would depend on the amount of items he could gather.
“If there are enough donations, we’ll hand it over. I feel we can drum up more support on social media as well.
“Nowadays, there is a lot of negativity online when it can be used to make people’s lives so much better. I’d rather focus on helping others,” he said.
Those interested to help Chin out can contact him via his Facebook profile here.
