TNB folk light up the lives of Kluang poor

 

The long line of people waiting by the road to enter the Kluang TNB yard for the food and other rations donated by locals and outsiders too.

KLUANG: For the last two Fridays, there has been a long line of people snaking out of the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) yard here.

No, there’s no blackout or litany of complaints. The people of Kluang are coming to TNB to get food and other necessities.

Even before the white flag campaign to help the needy began in the Klang Valley, the TNB workers in Kluang had started to understand the hardships faced by the people there.

The workers have turned the yard into a food bank, handing out necessities like rice, sugar, flour and even diapers – both for children and adults – every Friday morning.

It all began when the team of 10, who go out to do repairs and also to change meters, saw many people suffering from hunger, with no way of earning money.

“It was so painful for us to see so many people suffering. My team and I felt like we had to do something,” said Zulkilfly Amin Karma, a senior technician with TNB here.

The team then pooled their money, bought some foodstuff and started handing them out to the needy. The idea just took off, thanks also to a Facebook page for Kluang locals.

Many people came to know about what the TNB folk were doing.

TNB workers Muhammad Ahmad Shukti (in red) and Mohd Shahrul Nizam Mohd Roslan packing foodstuff to be given away to the needy.

In the first week, there were 74 people who turned up. In the second week, it almost doubled to 135 and this Friday, the organisers are expecting more than 200 for what they call the”gerobok rezeki” (community chest).

Zulkilfly says the idea has been embraced by the people of Kluang.

“Many people started bringing foodstuff and other items to the yard every day. We have a lot of food now stacked up in our office and we are ready to help more people,” said Zulkifly, adding that even those outside Kluang were coming in to help.

Zulkifly said he and his team would like to help the needy every day but it was not possible as they had a lot of work to do.

“But on Fridays, we make it a point to be here. We follow all SOPs and make sure people wear face masks and maintain physical distancing.

“Most of the those who come here are the hardcore poor. They are people who have lost their jobs and have suffered loss of income in these difficult times.”

He said that with the good response, they would try to keep their “community chest” going for as long as possible. - FMT