Charities are struggling this year to secure funds, as they continue to feel the effects of decreased donations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This difficult period comes at a time when these organizations need financial support more than ever, as they gear up to help the increasing number of people in need in the coming year.
Marketing director Justin Cheah of Kechara Soup Kitchen revealed that 2023 has been a particularly challenging year in terms of securing funds.
“The current economic climate and inflation seemed to have slowed down everyone,” Cheah said, explaining that the organization is facing a considerable decrease in incoming donations.
In response, Kechara has been forced to dip into its own reserves to continue serving meals to those in need, and is also working on plans to raise funds to acquire a warehouse that will serve the increasing need for food bank services.
The organization is urging food companies to donate their unsold products to help mitigate the shortfall.
Kechara is additionally raising funds to provide 2,000 Orang Asli children with school necessities under its School Mission program. Details for interested donors can be found on its Facebook page.
Meanwhile, William Cheah, co-founder of Kembara Kitchen, noted that while there hasn’t been a significant difference in the total amount of donations, the organization has received more in kind donations compared to previous years.
William mentioned that Kembara Kitchen will be conducting a buffet lunch and gifting event for 150 undocumented children in Semporna, Sabah during the festive season.
Hope Selangor co-founder Prema Arasan highlighted that while their contributions in kind have not been affected thanks to regular donors, cash donations have decreased slightly compared to last year.
As a result, they have had to discontinue their free tuition for the B40 group due to a lack of resources. Despite this setback, the organization continues to run programs to mentor teens and youth with the aim of providing adequate education and minimizing school dropouts among B40 youth.
Hope Selangor also provides food drives to various communities including People’s Housing Projects (PPR), low-cost flats, plantation estates, Orang Asli, and refugees. The organization is also planning to launch a program called Hope4children to support single mothers who are unable to send their kids to school due to factors such as transportation fees.
Prema added that they have enlisted retirees to send the kids to school with minimal charge, which also helps the retirees who are without work. Hope Selangor is contactable at 012-907 6266.
