Irene Pang, 43, has always had a heart for the poor. When she was younger, she often volunteered at old folks homes and orphanages.
But it wasn’t until the pandemic that her charity efforts took flight after she became jobless.
“During the first movement control order in March last year, the corporate gifts company I was working for closed down and I was without a job,” says the former senior sales manager from Cyberjaya, Selangor.
Pang’s husband, Raymond Liew, 58, who runs his own consultancy business, has also not had any work since the first MCO.
The couple, who has three children aged 14, nine and seven, applied for the i-Sinar scheme, which enables those whose income has been affected during the pandemic to withdraw funds from their Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
“It was difficult and we were struggling to survive on our savings because we had no income. But going through hardship made us more compassionate.
“We realised there were so many other people who were impacted. Some were in worse situations and had no money for even basic necessities like food,” says Pan
Instead of focusing on their own issue, Pang and her husband decided to channel their energy towards helping others.
Read more: These Malaysians knock on the doors of needy families all over the country to offer help
They paid for 20 packets of food in advance at a restaurant for five days. Then Pang put up a post in the social media group Buy Nothing Project (BNP Klang Valley & PJ) to inform people who didn’t have money for food to go to the restaurant and take the prepaid food packet.
“We wanted to help poor families in Puchong, so we chose a vegetarian restaurant there,” she says.
“The best part is it’s contactless and also, the people in need don’t have to feel embarrassed to be seen queueing up at a soup kitchen or food bank.”
Pang shares that they encountered some hiccups along the way, like when one of the recipients – a differently abled individual – complained about being charged by the restaurant when he went to collect the prepaid food packet.
But that didn’t deter Pang. She decided to try a different restaurant and approached a friend who runs a char kuay teow stall in Kepong.
“I prepaid for 20 packets of char kuay teow per day for five days. My budget is RM5 for a packet of food, so for five days it’s RM500. I paid him the amount upfront and told him to give it to those who came to the stall and showed him my post on social media,” she says.
Not only was that a way to help those in need, but it’s also a way to help vendors facing difficulties with fewer customers during the pandemic, she notes.
Wider reach
Subsequently, in March this year, Pang and her husband met Janice Yap, who runs a small humanitarian group called Garden of Peace which is involved in charity work.
“We had gone to a Buddhist temple to pray for blessings when we met her,” says Pang.
Yap encouraged Pang and her husband to volunteer and get involved in helping the less fortunate.
“We decided to join them in April and we haven’t looked back since. We got more involved in community work, helping the less fortunate, through their team effort,” she says.
Pang reveals that most of the members of Garden of Peace are in the e-hailing business and they are a close-knit group – there are just eight of them. Although they are Buddhists, they help anyone in need, regardless of religion or race.
Read more: This Malaysian offers relief to the underprivileged through food bank
“We’re just a bunch of regular Malaysian citizens who want to help those whose lives have been impacted by the pandemic,” says Pang.
Many of the cases that Pang helps are highlighted via social media groups such as BNP Klang Valley & PJ.
“I joined this group early this year and it’s absolutely amazing because the platform brings people closer together and helps individuals find resources without having to spend any money. In difficult times like this, this is very useful.
“While most of the members in the group are posting about items they wish to give away or receive, there are many who are also reaching out to help the poor and I’m just one of them,” says Pang.
“Through this platform, I’ve learnt to give and take, and also to have a more positive attitude.”
When MCO3.0 started, followed by the FMCO and EMCO, Pang noticed that there were many people who weren’t able to sustain any longer financially after more than a year of no income or business, and she decided to help them.
She posted a message in the BNP group asking people who face difficulties putting food on the table to contact her.
The response was overwhelming. “I received so many messages requesting for help,” she says. “Of course, I screened through them first and tried to find out what the problem was before helping to ensure that they were genuine cases.
“Many of them are sole breadwinners who have lost their jobs during the pandemic because they were day workers,” says Pang, adding that usually they have small children too.
“They were initially very shy and embarrassed to ask for help. It took them a while to gather their courage to approach me,” she reveals.
Read more: Malaysian law student helps the needy through food bank project
“Then, during the EMCO, I collaborated with the Garden of Peace team to deliver the items because they are delivery riders,” she adds.
Pang’s posts in the Facebook group also led to many people offering to contribute items or cash.
“I discovered that there are many generous people out there who are willing to help, and because of this, we were able to assist more families.
“Early this month, through Garden of Peace, we helped send food provisions to five families in Semenyih who were Covid-positive, self-quarantined and helpless. They had no food, groceries or milk for the baby,” she reveals.
“One was on the verge of suicide. The mother was planning to kill her own son and then hang herself. But thankfully, we managed to save them from tragedy.”
Currently, Pang helps with the coordination, purchasing and also screening of the people who request for help to make sure they’re genuine cases.
“Most of the people are really in need. We usually screen them first with a detailed phone interview, and if they are within a 10km radius, we make a home visit,” she says.
“Usually, we’ll know whether it’s a genuine case after talking to them. To date, together with the Garden of Peace team, we’ve been able to distribute food and groceries to 93 families in need.
“Nobody becomes poor by giving. I just wanted to help those who are in need and I hope more Malaysians will rise up to do the same,” she concludes.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
