10 July 2020 – Heineken Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) has collaborated with local Sabah radio station Kupikupi FM to help provide basic food items to 1,000 flood victims who were affected from the recent severe flooding that hit several districts in Sabah.
To support the flood relief efforts, HEINEKEN Malaysia has donated basic food items such as bottled water, rice, canned food, instant noodles, and non-alcoholic malt beverage Malta to the affected communities in Kota Belud, Penampang, and Papar.
Roland Bala, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia said, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the affected families in Sabah whose homes and livelihoods have been devastated by the floods. People are at the heart of HEINEKEN Malaysia and we are always looking for ways to support our stakeholders in whatever ways we can. By providing basic food items, we hope to address the urgent sustenance needs among the victims as they look to rebuild their lives. I’d also like to thank Kupikupi FM and HEINEKEN Malaysia’s team of employees in Sabah for their relentless support in coordinating, delivering and distributing the food aid to the victims.
Since the floods struck various districts in Sabah in late June, over 1,000 villagers had been evacuated from their homes and placed in relief centres and temporary shelters. As water levels have subsided and weather conditions have improved, most of the flood victims have since been allowed to return to their homes in stages.
“As a community radio station, Kupikupi FM’s purpose is to serve the needs of the local communities in Sabah. The flood has displaced many locals and impacted their lives in ways we cannot imagine. While we have been sharing as many updates about the flood situations as part of our role as a media organisation, we are glad to have worked together with HEINEKEN Malaysia in providing on-ground support to the flood victims. It is always meaningful to have been able to lend a helping hand to those in need,” said Lester Calvin Miol, General Manager of Kupikupi FM.
Filus @ Gilbert Kitung, Village Head of Kampung Penampang Baru Kimanis, Papar, said, “None of us expected that the heavy downpour would turn into floods that would destroy our home and damage our crops. We are grateful that there are no casualties, and that organisations such as HEINEKEN Malaysia and Kupikupi FM have gone out of thei way to help families, much like mine, who have fallen victims to the floods – the food aid will help to tide us over as we get our lives back into order.”
HEINEKEN Malaysia’s Sabah flood relief efforts is in line with the Company’s purpose of Brewing a Sustainable Future for People, Business and Planet. HEINEKEN Malaysia has also built six alternative water supply solutions in Sabah which benefitted more than 5,000 villagers since 2017. For more updates on HEINEKEN Malaysia and Kupikupi FM’s flood relief efforts in Sabah, please visit https://www.facebook.com/kupikupifm/ and https://www.instagram.com/kupikupifm96.3/.
