Page 43 - Berita Sunway - Issue 74

Interviews

WASTE

not,

To date, KSK has WANT
served more than

1.3 million meals to the not
needy and fed beyond

15,000 homeless
people.

Food wastage is a problem around the world, and Malaysia is is marked the beginning of Sunway’s partnership with KSK, which More than 2.2 million kilogrammes of food have been distributed via the KSK. We had many more coming to seek help and we did not have enough
encountering the same, churning an estimated 17,000 tonnes of food waste in was founded in 2008 to provide food, basic medical services, and welfare aid to food bank, benefitting more than 17,000 families and 146,000 people. food to give away. We rallied the public to help bring food and donations to our
the country daily, according to the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing the homeless and urban poor of Malaysia. food bank, and we ended up serving more than 5,000 families with provisions
Management Corporation (SW Corp)’s Malaysia Solid Waste Management THE VALUE OF GOODWILL and food products during the first lockdown,” said Cheah.
2020 Compendium. HUNGER KNOWS NO BARRIERS According to KSK’s operations director Justin Cheah, the Sunway-KSK Sunway partnered with KSK beginning December 2020 to contribute
About a quarter of the country’s food waste – 4,080 tonnes – is classified For the past 13 years, KSK has served the marginalised and homeless partnership over the years has evolved from excess food collection at festive food for the Orang Asal community living in Taman Negara that was affected
as edible and is enough to feed communities in Malaysia occasions to an understanding that the NGO collects surplus food for the needy by the pandemic. Additionally, in the third quarter of 2021, the collaboration
three million people for three irrespective of religion and race, on a regular basis. saw the sponsorship of more than RM30,000 in groceries delivered to more
meals a day. through its soup kitchen, food “ e partnership’s impact is that the poor get a steady supply of surplus than 550 low-income families in Penang on several occasions.
e food wastage worsens bank and empowerment food, which resolves their worries about food insecurity. ey also have a rare “We are very grateful to Sunway for working with Kechara Soup Kitchen
during the fasting month of programmes. chance of tasting premium hotel food,” said Cheah. and it has been our great honour to be associated with the company. We believe
Ramadhan, where more than Besides street feeding He said the partnership has fed thousands of underprivileged individuals Sunway is a frontrunner that has been doing a lot for the community, a
4,000 tonnes of food is discarded for the homeless, KSK’s activities and prevented more than 16,730 kilogrammes of food wastage – and in doing company that people look up to, and is able to do what it takes to bring
daily – accumulating to roughly have expanded over the years to so, avoided more than 10 tonnes of carbon emissions from food wastage. inspiration and hope to many through its CSR endeavours,” said Cheah.
120,000 tonnes of food waste in a include mobile medical services, Crediting his Sunway liaisons for their professionalism and amicable
single month, SW Corp added. counselling, the delivery of dry nature, Cheah said Sunway’s greatest contribution to KSK as a CSR partner is
With the aim of reducing provisions, surplus food the goodwill Sunway possesses.
food wastage and feeding the programme, job placements for “Sunway is a renowned brand. To be associated with Sunway is probably
needy, Sunway collaborated with the urban poor, and providing the best that an NGO like KSK can hope for. It is an honour for KSK to be
local NGO Kechara Soup Kitchen (From left) Sunway Resort resident manager Colin Yeoh, Kechara Soup Kitchen operations director upskilling and training for single mentioned alongside Sunway as it builds our stature and improves our
(KSK) to launch the Sunway Justin Cheah, e Royal Princess of Selangor Y.A.M. Tengku Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, mothers. reputation by making it assuring in the eyes of the public,” he said.
#zerofoodwastage initiative in Sunway Group deputy executive chairman Tan Sri Datuk Seri Razman and KSK also works closely
Sunway Resort executive chef Peter Lee posing in front of a loading van.
May 2017. with the Ministry of Domestic RESPONDING IN A PANDEMIC
e initiative to donate surplus food to the needy was the brainchild of Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), Ministry of Women, Family and More Malaysians are struggling to make ends meet with the ongoing
e Royal Princess of Selangor Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Zatashah binti Sultan Community Development, Yayasan Kebajikan Negara (YKN), Ministry of pandemic.
Sharafuddin Idris Shah. Federal Territories, and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to tackle the root Cheah said that one of KSK’s distribution sites at Jalan Imbi in KL now
roughout the year, Sunway Resort collected 5,878.4 kilogrammes of issues of homelessness and poverty. sees an estimated 120 people a day, compared to 80 from the recent Movement
surplus food from their buffet dinners and events, which was then distributed to To date, KSK has served more than 1.3 million meals to the needy and Control Order.
more than 23,500 beneficiaries in the Klang Valley. fed beyond 15,000 homeless people. “COVID-19 in no doubt has hit everyone hard, especially NGOs like Operations director of Kechara Soup Kitchen, Justin Cheah
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