Kechara Soup Kitchen - first visit

The reason why I named this post "first visit" is because I intend to visit again, hopefully soon. Is it a restaurant you may wonder? Yes, it serves food, and there are waiters/waitresses and customers, but the differences here are that, volunteers are the waiters/waitresses and food are served to homeless customers living on the streets of KL.

Kechara Soup Kitchen is a programme to provide the homeless with basic food and medical care while they try to re-integrate themselves back into the society. In the briefing, we were told that the main aim is to bring the homeless back to society therefore, the food and the medical supplies act as ice-breaker to get to know them more and to help them in other ways like, getting a job, getting a place in a shelter, getting a ticket back to their home, etc.

I first read about this programme while I was in Penang and did not have the chance to participate till now. But hey, folks in Penang, Kechara Soup Kitchen Penang started not long ago. Go help out if you can ok! This is a really meaningful way to spend your Saturday.

Yes you will see how meaningful your Saturday will be if you help out here!

First, when we arrived, Wan Ching helped to pack High 5 bread, while I helped to... take pic! :P

I blog ma, she doesn't. Haha. (Lame excuse, :P)

As a first-timer, we were required to attend a briefing and fill up our personal details. The briefing explains all about Kechara Soup Kitchen, from now on referred to as KSK, their missions, their programmes, do's and don't's when carrying out the activities, and how we can all help.

That night, there were a huge group of Mara students from a college in Banting.

They call themselves the Association of Caring Engineers. Hehe.

Ok, you may say that I'm not paying full attention and got fascinated by colourful pens and books instead. :P

In Victor's words, "Do Not Act Like a Hero!!"

Always refer to your team leaders if you are unsure of anything. 

For example, 

If someone asks you for money, Do Not Act Like a Hero and give money. 

You may not know what they will use your money for. If they need something, KSK will find a way to help them.

If you need to walk down a dark alley to deliver food, Do Not Act Like a Hero and walk yourself.

You may not know what danger lurks behind you, you may get kidnapped by aliens in the dark alley. wtf.

If you feel the need to comfort someone, Do Not Act Like a Hero and hug and kiss the person. Lol.

You do not know whether they are completely clean and free of diseases.

Ok, for more "Do Not Act Like a Hero", please contact Victor or attend the briefing. Hahah.

After the briefing, we all assembled again downstairs for grouping session. Every Saturday, KSK will visit different routes and different locations and if we were to visit all routes and locations together we will probably only finish the next afternoon. Lol. So we have to be separated into groups and each group will visit their designated locations.

Wan Ching, with new haircut, and Paul, a new friend.

Grouping session conducted by Kwok Wai, the boss. Hehe.

And now we're all set!!!

We are incidentally in charge of Chipster. See how much Chipster we had to give away?

Surrounded by Chipster packs to the neck!! Haha.

First stop and first time unloading food stuffs from Tanee's car; this calls for a picture! :P

Sorry for messy hair. =.=

From left: rice, bread, Chipster, mineral water.

See? One set of food, from basic carbohydrate to snacks.

The food may vary from week to week, depending on sponsorship, so our clients will not get bored of the same food every week. Hihi.

And did you see the way they line up for food?? They patiently waited for boss Kwok Wai to say "ready, on the mark, get set, GO! *pistol goes off*" "Jalan!" to start picking up their food. I really admire them in this aspect. They may be starving (by the time we reached this first destination, it was already midnight, and who eats dinner at midnight?) but still, they understand the importance of being in line and taking turns. So the next time I feel like cutting queue, I will say to myself, even hungry and homeless people can queue patiently, why not me?! Lesson number one for tonight!

Can you see the Iranian tourist?

Boss Kwok Wai said we did not have enough spatial awareness; we did not see that his wife was happily snapping a picture of him getting the food. He said, if we come across this situation next time, we must explain that this is not free food for just everyone, not even hungry tourists. wtf.

Lesson number two: When enthusiastically giving out food, be aware of your surroundings!

Thank you aunty!

A kind "thank you" will make them feel like they are not begging food and increase their self-esteem. :)

Me posing with Chipster chips. Mari-mari, ada Chipster, ada High 5, ada nasi. Siapa lapar??

These stops are easy, because our homeless clients know that KSK gives out food at those locations every Saturday, and they queue for it. After that, we went on our journey to less popular places, where we had to stop and check whether there are any homeless clients and repeat. Some sights do make me tear. Like, a mother and her baby daughter, a few friends sleeping on the five-foot-way of a famous building, and a guy, with all his belongings on a trolley he calls home.

I don't know if you can see the guy, pushing a trolley, trying to cross the street.

The trolley was all he had. *tears*

Volunteering at KSK for a night made me see life in a different way. It got me thinking, how did they end up in such destitute situations? Some of them are really just unfortunate to end up in the streets; they lost their jobs and could not find one, they got abandoned by their family, they lost their identifications and thus lost their identity and no employer would take them, they got discharged by hospitals and had nowhere to go to after that, etc. There are many many reasons how they are left homeless.

Driving home that night, whenever I see people on the streets, looking lost or upset, I wonder, are they homeless too? Do they need help or food, at least? I will never look at the streets in the same light again; as much as they are just pathways for us to get to our destinations, they are probably home and shelter to the unfortunate.

Though I learned that KSK is featured in the media a lot, I think there still needs to be more exposure to this cause. So, start by liking them on their Facebook page: KSKPage. I have done so! :P This is so that we are kept updated on their activities. Hehhe. Next, experience for yourself by joining KSK on Saturdays.

Who wants to go with me next? *hands up*!