Food bank drive a boon

Much-needed help: Lee helping Yap to secure the foodstuffs he had donated on her rickety stroller.

SEREMBAN: Octogenarian Yap Yen Fong was making her morning round collecting recyclables in a back alley along Jalan Tun Dr Ismail here when she saw a group of people taking away bags of household items they had received from a man at a car park.

Slowly, the 87-year-old widow pushed the rickety stroller she uses to transport the discarded items and made her way towards a canopy to get a closer look.

The man, who had been busy distributing the items, noticed the frail woman and quickly made his way towards her with a bag of foodstuff including a tray of eggs and other essentials.

The Good Samaritan was Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd founder and group executive deputy chairman Datuk Lee Tian Hock.

He also gave her some cash in an ang pow packet and helped her secure the foodstuff to the stroller using a rope.

“I am so grateful for this aid. Now times are tough as there are not many recyclable items as many businesses are closed,” said Yap, who has been collecting recyclables for a decade now.

Yap thanked Lee and his employees, saying that the aid was timely as her children were all outstation and could not return due to the interstate travel ban.

Lee, when met later, said the car park located behind Wisma Matrix headquarters was one of four food banks set up by the company to help those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The property developer has set aside RM400,000 for the exercise which will run for eight weeks.

“We know there are many families who are badly affected by the pandemic and would like to do our part to help them.

“We will give out 100 free bags at each centre.

“Those who do not have the means to buy foodstuff are welcome to take them,” he said.

The food bank at Wisma Matrix will open on Tuesdays for the next eight weeks and the second at d’Tempat Country Club in Bandar Sri Sendayan will start giving out the rations from tomorrow.

The third centre at Mawar Medical Centre will start providing food aid every Saturday starting July 17 and the fourth food bank at Matrix Galleria in Bandar Seri Impian, Kluang, from today.

Lee said the bulk of the items were purchased from sundry shops located in and near its development projects in Bandar Sri Sendayan and Kluang.

“We bought these items from small operators to support them.

“We hope this move will also help the sundry shops during these hard times,” he added.

The food aid packages include a 10kg bag of rice, eggs, cooking oil, dry noodles, salt, sugar and canned sardines.

Recently, the company also allowed the authorities to use the d’Tempat Country Club ballroom for free for the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme.

Matrix Concepts has also been supplying free meals to 85 volunteers and frontliners at the club as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.