The meal is on the house for those without money

Compiled by ALLISON LAI, TARRENCE TAN and R. ARAVINTHAN

HAVING lived through a period of hardship, a couple in Kuantan, Pahang, has been providing free meals to those in need, including students in the area, Sinar Harian reported.

Arlimin Che Ayob, 41, and his 36-year-old wife Solihah Nasir have gone a step further by publicly declaring that every meal in their restaurant – D’Tok Ngulu – is free for those who cannot pay.

Two notices in the restaurant carry the message: “For those who truly have no money for food and drinks, don’t be ashamed, do not hesitate. Eat until you are satisfied, then inform me or my staff. If you’re too shy to tell us, just keep it to yourself.”According to the daily, this initiative – to ensure no one in need goes hungry – that began five years ago has been gaining traction on social media with many Malaysians praising the couple.

“We’ve experienced the struggles of not having enough money to buy food. Some might be too shy to admit their situation, but they are hungry and we understand,” he said.

Even though this is not a profitable business model, the father of two is confident that his charitable efforts will be rewarded in the future.

“There are individuals who help us by paying more, so we can continue giving out free food to the needy,” he said, adding that there are plans to open more branches with the same concept.

> Singer Nourul Depp is willing to be a trainer for the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) if the opportunity arises, Harian Metro reported.

She said PLKN is a good initiative to nurture the identity of the youth and she is open to the idea as a contribution to the country.

“For me, why not? There’s also no problem with collaboration. Whatever we do, there must be motivation,” she said.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.