28 May 2013 by James Hoh CM-
Soup Kitchen for the Poor, Klang, started just a few months ago but it is already cooking, packing and distributing dinner for about 200 poor people in Carey Island.
It is part of Grace Community Services headed by Rev Henry K Pillai. He first started to help the needy some 40 years ago in Pandamaran, also in Klang. Rev Pillai has a great compassion for the poor besides teaching the Word.
“Today we are saving many lives through Grace Community Services and I am very privileged to be part of it. I joined GCS not long ago called by God to serve,” said Mr David Jansen who is the Director of Public Relations and Fund Raising of the organization.
The Grace Community Services Centre is situated at the Berkeley Town Centre, Klang where it used to be the premise of Malaysia Bible Seminary (MBS). The premises were bought over and rented out (free) by TA Enterprise while the utensils and cooking appliances were donated by concerned members of the public who prefer to remain anonymous.
“Although we have got good sets of people coming in steadily from Grace Assembly of God, there are also some companies that wish to come in once in a while to cook and pack food.
“Previously, we distributed cooked food to the poor in a village in Port Klang and today we are distributing cooked food in Carey Island. About 80 staff from a private company came this morning to prepare the food – chopping onions cabbage, chicken and such. They will start to cook at around 11am till about 2pm.
“Another set of people from the church will arrive at 3pm and will load the food packs onto the vans and start distributing them by 4pm. This group would finish its work by about 8pm,” he said.
Mr Jansen said under the company’s Social Responsibility initiative, they have donated the food, cooked it and pack it for distribution. “We want to thank the staff for their contribution,” he added.
Grace Community Services aims to help more hard-core poor. Many of them already know Grace Community through its website. While on one hand the centre gives out food, on the other it solicits donations and help from the private sector. Because it is registered as a non-profit organization, donors could get tax exemptions for their donations.
“Our mission is to serve needy people regardless of creed, race and religion. A lot of companies want to know what we do because our name ‘Grace’ is synonymous with a Christian identity. But we are a non-profit organization so everyone should be very clear about our purpose and mission. We don’t force our beliefs on anyone.
“We work with Majlis Perbandaran Klang and other relevant authorities very closely,” Mr Jansen added.
So, what’s on the menu today?
“Curry Chicken, omelet and veggie. We have five different menus lined-up for this month,” said Mr Matthew Choong, Mr Jansen’s colleague.
PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION BEFORE GOD IS THIS: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
(James 1:27)
Mr Jansen hoped that more people would see the needs of the poor, whether Christians or non-Christians, corporate companies or individuals. He prayed that they would answer its call for help and be GCS’s partner in doing good works.
Individuals and companies could call us if they are interested to cook or distribute the food to the hard core poor by calling us at 603-33414044 or drop me an email: jansen257@yahoo.com. Please visit our website: http://www.grace-intl.com.
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