KOTA KINABALU: Hearing stories of city residents resorting to adding rice to instant noodles inspired Datuk Koh Chung Jade to distribute nutritious food today.
Koh, managing director of Jetsin Sdn Bhd that distributes halal frozen food, said he had been informed that this combination was common in the state capital.
"Many general workers, especially those from the outskirts who work in the city, eat this way.
"They cannot afford nutritious meals as they send money back to their families.
"Adding rice to flavoured noodles helps them feel full.
"When they are well-fed, they perform better," he told reporters at the launch of Dapur Kita Kita at Wisma Bandaraya.
The soup kitchen aims to distribute 200 free lunchboxes daily, except on Sundays and public holidays.
Koh has partnered with the Sabah Chefs Association, led by Adrian Chong, for this initiative.
The meals, costing RM15 per box, are voluntarily prepared by members of the association from leading hotels, including Sabah International Convention Centre, Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Hilton, Nexus, and Shangri-La.
Apart from Koh and the Sabah Chefs Association, members of the public, including college students, volunteer to distribute the food from 11.30am to 1pm.
Koh said the meals are currently funded by his company's corporate social responsibility programme.
"It costs between RM1,000 and RM2,000 per day. For now, we have no sponsors. We would be grateful for any contributions and additional volunteers.
"This is a community-based initiative. We started it, and we are sustaining it for now.
"We are also open to working with non-governmental organisations to deliver meals to hospital visitors who cannot afford food," he said.
Also involved were Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu, Good Shepherd Services, Consumers Front of Sabah, Happy Place and Lifewater Berhad.