Goodies from Sunway Pyramid shoppers for poor single parents

Sunway Pyramid Management’s SOS “Food for thought” Donation drive which was launched by four women stalwarts – Joanne Kam, Liang, Chermaine Poo and Gabriella Robinson and the Sunway Pyramid management team headed by HC Chan, CEO of Sunway Pyramid as well as Dato Ngeow Voon Yean and Kevin Tan drew marvelous response from the many supermarket shoppers during the 2013 Lunar New Year season.

The SOS food drive launched in January and ended in February saw many supermarket shoppers buying and donating groceries into the various SOS boxes placed outside of the supermarts to help feed the less fortunate especially the poor single parents under the care of Jumble Station.

In early March, a total of 25 single parents from Lembah Subang low cost flats and another 25 single parents from Desa Mentari low cost flats were given the grocery bags of tinned foodstuffs, cookies and biscuits as well as cooking oil and a bag of rice each. To the poor families, such food donations are very much needed and timely enabling them to stretch their limited ringgits just a little more than usual.

The recipients were selected on the basis of greatest need, most number of mouths to feed and limited income. The crowd of eager single mums was waiting long before Jumble Station’s van could reach the drop off point and when it came time to verifying the names of the recipients, there were more Mykads handed over than the number of bags to be given out in both locations!

Together with the 25 poor single parents families that had received their goodies in Angsana low cost flats in Subang Mewah USJ1 in February and 10 others in other locations within the Klang Valley the total number of poor single parents that had benefited from the SOS “Food for Thought” programme came up to 85 families!

Our blissfully delighted single mums and their equally happy kids as well as Jumble Station, would like to express a very heartfelt “Thank You” to all the kindhearted Sunway Pyramid shoppers who cared enough in their hearts to share… Folks.. you have made a real difference!

Training the “untrained” for a better future

One of the key problems faced by many of the poor folks is their inability to rise above their straitened circumstance due mainly to their lack of education, lack of knowledge, lack of the desire to improve themselves and lack of will power to move from the rut they are in.

Recently Jumble Station together with DUMC’s Citizens Network for Better Malaysia (CNBM) teamed up to develop a two-day training programme to help some of the poorer folks to improve their lot in life, specifically to help them master themselves and the art of giving their best in any job.

Some 15 people had signed up their intention to improve their lot in life and to find better paying jobs including 11 Sabahans from the angsana flats in USJ1 where JS is located in Subang Jaya. However when it came time to attend the training session which was held on March 2-3 2013, not a single one of them were willing to sacrifice their weekend to attend the training session.

Four of them from Jackson’s company in Shah Alam – Kuna, Kavita, Rajanendran and Siva and three from JS came on Saturday – Suhaibah, Mala and Jasmine. The 7 became the pilot test case for a training session that included lessons on time management, financial budgeting and planning, work ethics, job improvements etc.

On Sunday, the number of attendees dropped – only Kuna, Kavita and Raja were there, Suhaibah claimed she had to move house while Mala was left stranded cos Sue wasn’t around to drive her there and Jasmine had to be at Amcorp to sell items for her income.

Nevertheless for the 3 that stayed on throughout the course, it turned out to be a life changing experience because they learnt how much easier it is to rise within an organization if they gave their best and how they can break out of the poverty mindset if they adopted some smart financial habits and tips.

At the end of the session, they were presented with Certificates of Participation and a goodie bag and more importantly, the feelings of satisfaction. Above all, the trio expressed a desire to attend the next training session which will help propel them towards greater degrees of success. For JS single mums and poor families, it was decided that a one day, full day training session would be more appropriate so May 1 was picked to be the next training session. Hopefully more poor folks can benefit from such life changing training sessions indeed Anyone want to recommend this free training session to a needy person, contact Mary Anne 016-2202958.