Viral appeal triggers food aid tsunami

KOTA KINABALU – A food appeal that went viral in group chats, triggered a tsunami of food aid that hit the collection point at Metro Town Inanam on 12 Feb 2017.

Allison Chin joined a corporate group on a three-day trip to Salong, Pensiangan in January. It was her first trip for an outreach activity to the Catholic poor. She was touched by the neediness of the habitat and the living conditions of the people there.

She met Joseph Chee of LJCCC who introduced her to Franciscan Sister Dorothy Laudi who looks after a kindergarten in Paitan Mission.  She found out that the mission was in dire need of water and food.

She proposed to her Young Living Group associates (Oily Buddies) to organise a dry food donation from their members on Feb 6. They posted the appeal online which went viral. It garnered more than 700 shares.  The collection centre was at her office in Metro Town Inanam.

The donated goods of rice, cooking oil, biscuits, dried noodles, milo, sugar, salt, eggs, tinned food and other essential items filled up three meeting rooms at Sacred Heart Cathedral and the basement entrance of the parish hall.

LJCCC members and their youths, Sabah Tshung Tsin Volleyball Team led by teacher Ah Siaw, SHC staff, and Oily Buddies unloaded the goods to the rooms.

At the same time, Sacred Heart Cathedral parish was also carrying out a donation drive for food aid to flood victims in Pitas and Kota Marudu.

On Feb 14, all the donated goods were loaded onto 3-ton and 10-ton lorries for delivery to Kota Marudu and Paitan. The lorries were provided by Menggatal Hardware and FHL Logistics respectively. Seminarians from Initiation Year SPC, Staff of Fook Lu Siew Funeral Parlour and SHC staff completed the loading onto the respective lorries.

On Feb 15, the food aid arrived in Kota Marudu and Paitan for distribution to the affected families. – SHC HD