Kuantan restaurateur gives out over 200 food packs to the poor during Ramadan

Food brings joy to the hearts of the marginalised communities during Ramadan. Photos: Aiman Azahari

As Ramadan is a period of reflection and charity for Muslims, Aiman Azahari, 40, is doing his part to feed underprivileged communities in Kuantan, Pahang.

Since the start of the fasting month, the restaurateur and his family members have been distributing between 150 and 250 packs of food to people from different walks of life.

Their food distribution drive is called Infaq Ramadan.

"Like previous years, I am eager to continue the initiative of providing packs of chicken rice for the poor, children, street friends, elderly and marginalised groups around Kuantan throughout Ramadan," said Aiman during a phone interview from there recently.

Feeding the poor during Ramadan embodies values of compassion and solidarity.

Aiman, who has been carrying out this initiative for four years, isn’t a stranger to helping the poor.

In 2020, Aiman and his friend, lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, 41, launched the #MutualAidBeserah relief fund to help poor fishing communities in Pahang affected by the movement control order due to Covid-19.

Over RM50,000 was raised to purchase food supplies for over 1,000 families living in Beserah and Balok.

"There are two main reasons for this continuous effort during Ramadan. One is because there are still many urban poor folks in Kuantan. Secondly, until recently, there wasn’t a soup kitchen in our community that provides daily meals to the community. With this in mind, we are doing our part to help marginalised communities."

A simple meal during Ramadan can greatly aid the poor.

For a good cause

During Ramadan, Muslims are obligated to help the poor as it is part of the teachings of Islam. Aiman said feeding the poor is a sacred duty for Muslims during Ramadan as it emphasises compassion and generosity towards those in need.

Food distribution during Ramadan serves as a reminder of the community's commitment to supporting the less fortunate."We must remember that we are also currently in the Lenten season and being a Muslim or a Christian, one part of living in the spirit of servitude means to take care of community, especially the poor and the needy.

"I think for Muslims in particular, we sometimes forget that Allah commands us to feed the poor. This means anyone who is poor regardless of race and creed. Even if you are not a Muslim nor a Christian, is it not our moral obligation to help those in need around us?" said Aiman, the executive and strategic development manager for his family-run chicken rice restaurant in Kuantan.

During Ramadan, Aiman and his family distribute between 100 and 150 packets of chicken rice to the community.

"Money spent comes from our personal funding. My uncle, my mother and my aunties will fork out money to share the expenses. If there are funds from the public, then I won’t ask from my family members."

Whenever he obtains additional donations, he orders food from another restaurant selling chicken rice and a home-based cook who makes nasi ayam penyet.

"We try to provide them with meals that are made fresh, nutritious and easy for them to consume. We start preparing the meals at around 12pm and will start packing at 3pm, so we can start distributing the food at 5pm. In previous years, we also had a group of youth who prepared bubur lambuk to be distributed to the poor."

The meals are prepared around noon and distributed by 5pm.Food distribution takes place at Pasar Besar Kuantan on Jalan Tun Ismail, Jalan Wong Ah Jang, and various villages around Balok. A proportion of the provisions is allocated to the children and women's shelter operated by non-profit Drug Intervention Community (DiC) Pahang in Kuantan.

It is a rehabilitation centre for people battling with addiction, shelter for women and children, halfway home for recovering addicts, as well as a day-care centre for unhomed folks, women and underprivileged children that also function as a soup kitchen.

Aiman hopes to secure extra funding for Infaq Ramadan. He wants to cater to 250 underprivileged communities in Kuantan throughout Ramadan. More support from the public means more food can be distributed to the poor and marginalised community, made up of senior citizens, women and children, he explained.

"Donations have been less than previous years, which was anticipated given the prevailing economic conditions. I encourage my friends to contribute and help disseminate information about this initiative to others," said Aiman, who collaborates closely with DiC to raise funds for dry food items.

For more details on Infaq Ramadan, call 016-662 2805 (Aiman).