A group photo of us, Grab drivers and delivery riders, joined by several representatives from the Lost Food Project, and fellow Grabbers, for the #GongXiMakan For All initiative to show kindness and fellowship to underserved communities across the country.
AS Grab drivers, we often find ourselves driving through parts of Kuala Lumpur that we normally wouldn’t go to on our own.
Along our journeys, we see many people – especially at night – sleeping on the streets or children going through bins looking for plastic bottles and cans they can sell to the “sau kau poh chi man” for money to pay for essentials they need at home.
Sometimes, we have passengers who would rather walk home with their bags to save a few ringgit, but because they are elderly, they don’t have the energy to walk. As drivers, we share stories of our encounters with each other – and it makes me sad.
Recently, 120 Grab drivers and delivery riders, and I, had the chance to do something different for Chinese New Year.
We joined several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and GrabFood restaurants to take part in the #GongXiMakan For All initiative organised by Grab.
The purpose of the initiative was to reach out to the underserved communities around us, to show them kindness and fellowship during this festive season.
Together with The Lost Food Project (TLFP), Kechara Soup Kitchen, Happy Charity Association, Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah Malaysia, Society of Kuching Urban Poor, Hope Place, Rumah Kebajikan Anak Yatim & Fakir Miskin Perempuan, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak Yatim Lelaki & Miskin Baitul Mukmin, we offered meals and food essentials to those who are occasionally forgotten.
In the Klang Valley, where I was a part of, we worked with TLFP, a food rescue NGO that believes in "Feed the Hungry, Not the Landfill".
I am truly inspired by the work of this NGO. Their efforts aim to address hunger issues and climate change by tackling the food waste problem.
Instead of letting extra food go to waste, they collect and distribute it to over 80 charities and thousands of B40 families in less privileged areas, regardless of their background.
From what I know, the TLFP team has saved 6.7 million kg of food from being wasted, which is the same as 19.1 million nutritious meals, and prevented 16.7 million kg of greenhouse gas emissions.
As a team across Malaysia, we used soup kitchen locations to provide warm meals to more than 700 homeless people in marginalised areas across Klang Valley, Penang, Ipoh, Johor Baru, Melaka, Kuantan, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
The initiative provided warm meals to more than 700 homeless people across Klang Valley, Penang, Ipoh, Johor Baru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
The meals were sponsored by King Kunyit, Nasi Anje 1, Guilt Free Society, Restoran Taufik, Big Coconut, SRC, Ceylonese Restaurant, Along Curry Station, MyRecipe and Unknown Cafe & Bistro.
We also gave out food essential packs which had items like rice, sugar and eggs to 300 lower-income households in those areas.
As a community, it is imperative that we join hands to support initiatives aimed at helping those who are in need.
Reflecting on our experience that day, my fellow Grab drivers and delivery riders were deeply moved by the #GongXiMakan For All initiative. It was truly heartwarming and humbling to have had the opportunity to be involved.
My fellow Grab driver from Kuching, Sharipah Mazenah, said, “As a Grab driver, I get to help my community every day – whether it’s delivering food or grocery orders, or taking my passengers to where they need to be. I wanted to be a part of the #GongXiMakan For All because it gave me another chance to help my community.
Being involved in this initiative gave us, a community of drivers and delivery riders, the chance to bring comfort and hope to the homeless.
It is important for them to know that there are people out there who still remember and care for them, especially during festive seasons when they might feel alone. I am humbled to be able to do this together with my fellow Grab drivers and delivery riders.”
120 Grab drivers and delivery riders took part in the #GongXiMakan For All initiative.
Mohamad Heruan Shah, another fellow Grab driver from Penang, shared, “As a driver, you get to meet people from all walks of life.
However, being part of this initiative was truly an eye-opening and emotional journey for me.
Seeing the gratitude in the eyes of the families and children we helped reminded me of the true meaning of family, empathy and kindness.
This initiative showed me the power of coming together as a community to support those in need.”
I would like to give a shout-out to the many NGOs out there for the work they do in our community. If anyone would like to support their efforts, you can reach out to them to do your part and help out those in need.
*Article by Shanlee Tan, a Grab driver partner since September 2017.
