TANGKAK: Two friends in Bukit Gambir have turned their homes into distribution stations for anyone in need of fresh produce to walk in and take as much as they like – for free.
For more than five years, businessmen Tan Kian Chai, 62, and Tay Tian Heng, 58, have been collecting and giving out bumper harvests that would otherwise leave farmers with tonnes of unsold vegetables and fruits.
“We regularly receive a wide variety of donated produce including kangkung, spinach, choi sum, mushrooms and pumpkin, as well as papaya and watermelon.
“We are happy to act as a bridge through this initiative as it not only helps to feed families, it prevents tonnes of food from going to waste,” said Tan, who is also an oil palm smallholder.
He said the volunteer-run initiative began with a simple aim of giving back to the community.
“At first, we had no proper system. I remember receiving a call from an egg factory that had a surplus and we used our pickup trucks to collect the trays of eggs and distribute them door to door.
“We then realised this method had its flaws because some people were at work and we could not hand them the free items, and they were upset,” he said in an interview.
Tan said they decided to set up the distribution stations at their respective houses in the Bukit Gambir area, where the collected food would be sorted and placed there for members of the public to come and take freely.
The initiative proved invaluable during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many families were struggling financially, he said, adding that countless people benefited from it.
“Besides fresh produce, donors also sent food baskets containing rice, cooking oil, instant noodles, sugar and biscuits,” he said.
At its peak, the initiative operated seven stations but it has since been consolidated into two stations, Tan’s home in Kampung Baru Bukit Gambir and Tay’s home in Taman Wira.
Farmers would contact the pair whenever they have excess produce, which are then collected, transported to the stations and announced on local Facebook community groups with collection dates and times.
Tan said he noticed more people have shown up to collect free produce as living costs continued to rise.
“Recently, we had more than 10 industrial baskets of fresh vegetables, which were all snapped up within 30 minutes.
“At first, some people felt shy about taking the free items but over time they became more comfortable,” he said, adding that he often encouraged people to take more to share with their friends and neighbours.
He said that people mostly came from Bukit Gambir, while some travelled from Serom, Kampung Simpang Lima and other nearby areas to collect the fresh produce.
Although the work requires time and commitment, Tan said neither he nor Tay have any intention of stopping as long as farmers continue with their generous donations.
