At HappyBank’s distribution center, packages of basic goods are waiting to be distributed. (Image courtesy of HappyBank)
KUALA LUMPUR, 15 JULY: Because of the rising frequency of Covid-19 infections and the resulting lockdowns, many people have had to openly ask for help to make ends meet. Online grocers and e-commerce companies have risen to the occasion, offering to help individuals in need by providing groceries and basic bundles.
As an offshoot of the #kitajagakita campaign, e-commerce giants like Shopee dedicated a section with lists of necessary packages. Meanwhile, delivery services like HappyFresh have partnered with shops to offer grocery bundles, allowing people to buy pre-selected items and have them delivered straight to the poor.
Links to order crucial packages on Shopee have gone viral on the internet. For example, the hypermarket Mydin has sold 1,200 copies of one of its fundamental bundles.
On July 3, Selangor and 15 places in the Federal Territory were placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), which began the movement.
Residents in affected areas are not permitted to leave their houses, and only one representative per household is permitted to leave to obtain needed goods, which must be purchased within a 10-kilometer radius. As a result, many have been unable to directly assist others.
Many B40 households have struggled to make ends meet since the MCO was reinstated on June 1. The government hoped to soften the blow of a total lockdown by announcing a new set of stimulus packages worth RM150 billion, including RM10 billion in direct fiscal injection and RM10 billion in direct cash aid to the people, but the first stage of the cash aid rollout will not take place until August.
The police said on June 29 that there were 468 suicides between January and May of this year, or three suicides per day. When compared to a 2018 police report stating 1,696 suicide deaths between 2014 and 2018, which is fewer than one suicide per day, this is a significant increase.
While the causes of suicides are unknown, many people have linked them to Covid-induced stress, such as unemployment and the resulting severe financial troubles.
Putting two and two together, some Malaysians took to social media, urging individuals in need to hoist a white flag in the hopes of reaching out to those in need and preventing additional suicides, resulting in the #benderaputih (white flag) campaign becoming viral.
H&S Grocery Sdn Bhd, which is also a participant in Shopee’s #kitajagakita effort, released a variety of necessary packages on the site well ahead of the #benderaputih movement. “There have been more individuals buying from us because of the #benderaputih [campaign], says an H&S spokesperson who only wants to be identified as Emery.
Although the #benderaputih movement has brought attention to the grocer’s Shopee presence, consumers still prefer to connect directly with H&S Grocery to customize the contents of grocery bundles and occasionally place loose orders, according to Emery.
“For example, for Uncle Kentang [a known social activist], I had a customer who requested 5kg of onions, 5kg of potatoes, 10 cans of sardines, and more individually.”
Religious and corporate establishments, according to Emery, also ordered groceries for charitable causes.
HappyFresh has also relaunched its assistance initiative, in which customers can donate RM2 to the less fortunate at checkout. Customers can also give to the Lighthouse Welfare Children House in Bangsar by purchasing RM50 or RM100 grocery bundles from Pasaraya OTK through the KitaJagaKita option within the app. In the future, it intends to include more non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
In addition, starting in July, HappyFresh began hiring laid-off staff as delivery riders and personal shoppers, and boosted their pay. The grocery delivery service is finalizing plans to implement a company-wide immunization program to safeguard personnel, delivery riders, and personal shoppers.
Instead of buying supplies from supermarket conglomerates, humanitarian NGOs soliciting cash for vulnerable populations under the hashtag #benderaputih have chosen to assist small-to-medium-sized grocers like H&S Grocery.
“We work with tiny kedai runcit or shops that are most likely affected by the epidemic,” explains Ainie Faziqa, co-founder of Happy Bank, a non-governmental organization that helps underprivileged people.
Happy Bank said on social media that between June 1 and June 30, the organization assisted 3,189 households.
“We encountered folks who had been laid off or had their salaries slashed at the time, and they needed help, primarily in the form of food. It is the most essential requirement “Ainie expresses her opinion.
The organization, which was founded in 2014, is dedicated to giving food assistance to people and their needy families on a daily basis.
Restaurants and fresh food businesses are also contributing by raising donations, donating a portion of their revenues, or directly providing food.
Crunch by Raz, a bakery in Tropicana, for example, donates half of its revenues to food banks and individuals in need. Meanwhile, Nasi Lemak Saleha, a popular eatery in Sri Rampai, Wangsa Maju, has added a menu item for customers who order through Grab to sponsor a meal for the delivery platform’s riders.
On the other hand, seafood wholesaler and retailer Syarikat Tuah Bersaudara chose to set aside space at its Shah Alam headquarters for a food bank, where individuals in need can access fresh fish, pork, and vegetables./n
