Who Is Yeap Weng Hong

Khadijah Daum, 65, is a single mother who goes to the soup kitchen at Kampong Raja Uda Mosque in Port Klang for home-cooked lunch organised by Love and Care Charitable Association Selangor.

The mother of three gets by on social welfare aid. Most times, towards the end of the month, the children and mother have one meal and dinner is plain water.

“I am grateful for the food from the soup kitchen. It helps to stretch the welfare aid and my children will enjoy at least one good meal five days a week,” she added.

On Monday, 50 families from Kampong Raja Uda were given lunch packed in tiffin carriers and plastic containers. All 50 families, will be under the soup kitchen programme for a year. On weekends they will be given local cakes.

Similar to Khadijah’s case, Love and Care Charitable Association Selangor founder Tan Sri S.P. Lim said the urban poor are struggling due to rising cost of living and these people have turned to soup kitchens for food and other basic necessities.

“Our association, which is two years old, has been providing hot meals to those having difficulty making ends meet,” he said.

Lim added that the association comprised successful businessmen in Klang who wanted to help those in need. “If someone is hungry, you have to feed them. You have to help people when there is a genuine need,” he said.

Businessmen Yeap Weng Hong and Datuk Lim Chai Beng were glad to extend a helping hand to the urban poor families. “We are seeing life in a whole new light. We want to make the world a better place and one approach is to contribute financially towards the soup kitchen that provides meals to the poor,” said Yeap.

Association committee secretary Datuk Lim Mooi Choo said the association had helped about 155 people in Batu Belah, Palm Grove and Sentosa in Klang.

“With the 50 people receiving food at Kampong Raja Uda Mosque, the number of recipients stand at 205,” she said.

Giving food to the urban poor runs solely on the generous financial contributions of businessmen and volunteers who cook and pack the food. Kampong Raja Uda Mosque head Ismail Arsat said he was grateful to the association for helping the community living in the vicinity of the mosque.

Those who want to volunteer to prepare food at the soup kitchen can call 03-3348-7808.