For those who have nothing left, a Malaysian in Greece does what’s right

Happy to help: Rayyan handing out tea to refugees. — Frdric Sguin/Shoot to Help

LESBOS: Rayyan Haries, 26, is a travel blogger on a mission: to volunteer while travelling around the globe.

The Malaysian from Subang Jaya was featured in a Humans of the Refuge Facebook post, which has since gone viral.

Currently based at Skala beach here, Rayyan welcomes refugees with hot food.Together with a small team of volunteers, he hands out tea, soup and sandwiches.

“The refugees who come are often wet and cold as the temperature has been dropping every day. Everyone is grateful for the hot tea and the warm soup we provide,” said Rayyan.

He and the other volunteers, who work from a small outdoor kitchen, serve about 300 litres of tea and between 1,500 and 2,000 sandwiches to the stream of refugees who arrive daily. Rayyan calls himself #TheVolun­teer­Cook, and makes all the meals himself.

“I remember one night when we had more than 4,000 people. We had a kitchen meltdown with nothing more to serve,” he said.

Rayyan, who has over 17,000 followers, is comfortable with the publicity he had been getting.

German newspaper Die Welt even wrote an article about his efforts to feed the refugees.

“The publicity creates awareness and highlights this very distressing crisis. We get donations coming in and support,” said Rayyan who went to Greece a month ago after reading about the plights of the refugees.

When he first arrived in Lesbos, he had only €1,000 (RM4,600). Now that the soup kitchen is more established, he is able make more meals. But money is still tight and he welcomes donations.

Rayyan has been volunteering since 2013. He was in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan and the Bohol earthquake.

“I don’t do aid work for the fame, but because I have a passion for both volunteering and travelling.

“There is nothing more in life that I want other than to put smiles on people’s faces. By doing this, I’m able to give back to the world, one meal or smile at a time.”

To donate, make a payment to his PayPal account at [e-mail] or visit facebook.com/thevolunteercook.