For a good cause: Tan (centre) holding up a batch of biscuits she had baked earlier. With her are Lee (standing at the back), Chuah Tse Eng (left) and Lim Eng Hong. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: The aroma of freshly baked walnut, cranberry and nam yee (red beancurd) biscuits wafts from the kitchen of Tan Phaik Hwei’s flat as the housewife carefully arranges her latest batch of biscuits into jars to be given out to the underprivileged.
The 47-year-old has been baking these treats from her small Ayer Itam flat for the past four years and the biscuits will be distributed to welfare and charity societies all over Penang by the Li Tek Ex-Pupils’ Association, which has raised funds to buy 824 jars.
“This is the fourth year we are contributing and I am glad to share my biscuits. This year, we have made pineapple tarts besides walnut, cranberry, peanut and nam yee (red beancurd) biscuits,” Tan said when met.
Her family chips in with the baking which started from the first week of January.
“We start baking at 6am and finish at 4pm or sometimes later in the evening every day.
“All of them are my own recipes that I taught myself and learned from friends,” she added.
Li Tek Ex-Pupils’ Association secretary Lee Thuan Chye said the biscuits will be distributed to the underprivileged who are being looked after by 22 organisations and societies in Penang.
Pupils from low-income families from nine schools in will also be receiving biscuits from the association, he said, adding that the initiative this year was made possible by 206 donors.
“For every RM100 the donors contribute, we can buy a set of four jars for charity,” Lee said when met at Tan’s flat.
“For each set, RM85 will be paid to the baker while RM15 will be channelled to the Li Tek Ex-Pupils’ Association.
“This year, we raised RM3,090 for the association while bringing cheer by giving biscuits to the underprivileged,” he said.
