Feeding Jinjang’s poor

SIMPLOT, the primary supplier of french fries for major QSR (quick service restaurants) and Horeca (hotels, restaurants and cafes) worldwide, recently reached out to the Fungates Superflow Foundation Soup Kitchen in Jinjang Utara as part of their corporate social responsibility programme.

Representatives from Simplot took a half day off from their busy schedule at work to serve the Jinjang community by serving food, cleaning up and washing the dishes at the soup kitchen known for providing daily free lunches for the urban poor.

Simplot South-East Asia commercial marketing manager E-laine Ong said this CSR activity was not about giving back to community through a cheque but putting heart into what is needed.

“This is the first time we are doing a CSR activity and my hope is that one day my whole staff will be able to come and serve the community together with their families reaching the widows, fatherless and the poor not as an activity but as a lifestyle,” she said.

The people who came for their free meal were surprised to see a different twist on what was on the menu for that day.

Simplot manufactured hashbrowns, popcorn hashbrowns, mixed vegetables, potato wedges and french fries were served that day giving regular patrons a pleasant contrast to the usual rice or noodles they were used to.

Even the bolognaise sauce served with the pasta was from Leggo’s, another iconic brand under Simplot.

Approximately RM8,000 worth of Simplot products were donated to the soup kitchen including food stock that can be used in the future and special Simplot freebies given as door gifts.

Fungates Superflow Foundation managing trustee Penny Khor said she was happy that the regular patrons were offered something different that day.

“Because today’s meal is different they are going back for second and third rounds. We are really grateful to Simplot for doing this as the lives of these urban poor are improved,” she said.