Hope Place founder Kelvin Wan (left, back row) is seen with Uniter and his family after making a delivery of rice, cooking oil, salt, sugar, Milo, biscuits, noodles and milk powder.
KUCHING: Hope Place Kuching expects 2018 to be a very challenging year compared to last year, as it aims to continue supporting 190 needy families at a cost of over RM25,000 each month.
A statement yesterday said from January to December last year, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) had received more than 130 calls seeking its assistance.
Aside from needy members of the public, Hope Place also received calls from Sarawak General Hospital’s (SGH) cancer department, social workers from SGH, Hospital Sentosa and Sri Aman Hospital, as well as outstation longhouses and some politicians.
Recently, Hope Place delivered rice, cooking oil, salt, sugar, Milo, biscuits, noodles, milk powder and school stationery to 43-year-old Uniter Kalika and family.
Uniter, a technician, suffers from blood cancer and was diagnosed in July 2017.
He was earning about RM1,600 a month but had to stop working after becoming weak from chemotherapy treatment.
He and his wife, Annie Liew, have six children aged five to 16 years. Liew, previously a housewife, now works to support the family and earns about RM920 a month, of which RM200 goes to paying the family’s house rent.
Hope Place is currently in need of biscuits (300 boxes), noodles (150 boxes), milk powder (150 x 1kg packs), Milo (150 x 1kg packs) and adult disposable diapers (XL x 100 packs and XXL x 50 packs).
The NGO visits poor and less fortunate families to contribute some essential food items like rice, cooking oil, sugar, salt, biscuits and noodles.
Many of these families or individuals barely earn enough to get through the month; hence many are grateful with the assistance of these basic necessities delivered to them.
For families with special needs children, or with elderly or disabled members, Hope Place provides milk powder, oats and disposable diapers as well.
The NGO carries out its aid deliveries once every two months due to the many families on its recipients list.
For more information, Hope Place can be reached on its hotline 013-567 2775 or 082- 505 987 from 8.30am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm Mondays to Fridays, and 9am to 12pm on Saturdays.
Those making a donation can request for a receipt from the Hope Place staff. Direct bank-ins can be made to ‘Persatuan Kebajikan Harapan Kuching’ at Maybank account number 5112-8900-1160.