Gamuda Rise NewsletterGamuda Rise NewsletterYuevern Loh
If you’ve been on any social media platforms in the past few months, there’s no escape from reading about heartbreaking stories of the community struggling to make it through the COVID-19 pandemic, be it financially, mentally or physically. While it can be a downer to see people going through difficulties, we decided to give back to the community as much as we can.
GL Cares is a community initiative that started with a donation drive amongst Gamuda Land staff, associates and business partners to fund food aid and distribution to people in need. In keeping with this spirit, Gamuda Land has then matched every staff donation ringgit-for-ringgit. On top of that, Gamuda Land townships are also contributing to the donation fund to reach more people and further support the cause.
“It is heart-warming to see our staff being proactive and proposing this initiative to us as a way to support the community sincerely. While we can’t control the outcome of the pandemic and the economy, we want to help in any way we can by providing daily essentials and food aid. Every little help goes a long way,” says Yuen Chee Meng, Executive Director, Branding and Customer Experience in Gamuda Land.
The main avenue in which the funds are utilised is by setting up of food aid stations throughout several Gamuda Land townships for people in need. Namely Gamuda Gardens, Kundang Estates, twentyfive.7, Horizon Hills and Jade Hills – these food aid stations allow our community-in-need to take essentials and necessities such as rice, cooking oil, face masks, sanitiser, diapers and more.
For people who are unable to visit the station due to various challenges and travel restrictions, bags filled with essentials are personally packed and delivered to the villagers and Centralised Labour Quarters (CLQs) by Gamuda Land staff.
Working in partnership with domestic suppliers like 99 Speedmart, who help keep the shelves stocked, the public and residents of Gamuda Land can also contribute food items to help the needy.
“It was a challenge getting everything in order for all the townships and dealing with the suppliers while adhering to the SOPs. We had to set everything up as quickly as possible since time was an important factor to those in need. Nevertheless, the team is very passionate about this noble cause, has great motivation, and they went the extra mile to make this happen,” said Liong Ve Lyn, General Manager, Central Marketing and Sales.
Undoubtedly, foreign workers in Malaysia are one of the groups most affected by the pandemic. Through the food aid program, food essentials were also sent to over 1,700 workers throughout Gamuda’s CLQs to help them through these tough times.