KUALA LUMPUR, 27 August 2021 – With the last day of August right around the corner, in celebration of the Merdeka spirit of unity, the largest 24-hour standalone convenience store operator, 7-Eleven Malaysia, partners with NGOhub to give back to the less fortunate local community through the distribution of groceries to charitable homes that have been severely impacted by the pandemic.
Basic necessities and groceries such as cooking oil, rice, canned sardines, biscuits, energy drinks, and packs of sugar were distributed to three homes – Mesra Home Ampang, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Lindungan Ikhlas Kuala Lumpur, and Victory Children & Youth Home – to ease their burden during this challenging period.
Founded in 2013, Mesra Home is a charity home for neglected elderly Muslim women. The home supports these women by providing shelter and comfort to ensure that the welfare of these senior citizens is well taken care of. Currently, the home employs 4 helpers to care for 23 elderly women.
On the other hand, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Lindungan Ikhlas is a charitable home that provides care and shelter to 20 underprivileged children and 2 old folks with the help of 5 caretakers.
Victory Children & Youth Home currently operates with 5 helpers and hosts 30 children and youth between ages 7 and 21. Established in 1998, the home shelters underprivileged children – including orphans, rebellious youth, and children from dysfunctional families – with the intention of transforming these precious lives through counselling, disciplines, proper education and character building.
7-Eleven Malaysia’s General Manager of Marketing, Ronan Lee, said: “In the spirit of Merdeka, we collaborated with NGOhub to provide support to charity bodies across all creed and kind that have been affected even more so due to these trying times, and that this is what the spirit of Merdeka is about – all of us looking out for one another regardless of race or religion.”
“This Merdeka, in the true spirit of patriotism, let us all remember that when we are united, we stand stronger together. Also, be sure to join us in caring for the disenfranchised communities by contributing directly or alternatively one may drop by the nearest 7-Eleven and make a contribution through our Kotak Putih Campaign of which goods contributed will be disbursed to the needy,” Lee added.
Caretaker of Victory Children & Youth Home, Goh, said, “Most of our residents come from single parent families and broken homes. Our main challenge is having to ensure that we provide these children and youth proper care and affection while we source for contribution from the public to keep the home going. During this pandemic, we don’t receive contributions as often – only about once a month on average.”
Sharing the same compassion for people, Faezah, caretaker of Mesra Home, said, “We choose to take care of the elderly solely because of our love and passion for them. On top of the lack of monetary funds being our main challenge, oftentimes, our elderly residents tend to get emotional and some of them even are psychiatric patients. Nevertheless, we feel strong when we receive support from the public, such as from 7-Eleven Malaysia. It is very encouraging to know that we are not in this alone and that our fellow compassionate Malaysians are supporting us in this journey.”
All three homes welcome contribution from society and are in need of monetary funds, household items, and volunteers. For further information on ways to support these homes, kindly contact Mesra Home (+6 012 667 7934), Pertubuhan Kebajikan Lindungan Ikhlas (+6 016 628 1090), Victory Children & Youth Home (+6 018 239 7290) or visit their websites.
Alternatively, those who would like 7-Eleven to channel contributions to those in need on their behalf can find out more details on the Kotak Putih Campaign on www.7eleven.com.my or 7-Eleven Malaysia’s official social media pages at 7ElevenMalaysia.
