It is without doubt that Malaysians are generous people; not just with their wallet but also with their heart and time. After helping Acer Malaysia to raise RM60,000 for Stop Hunger Now, Malaysians parted with their time to come together to pack 60,000 meals in 6 hours. Working fast and cheerfully, they churned out an average of 27.8 meal packs or 166.7 meals a minute! More than 250 volunteers had smiles on their faces as they worked the 6 packing lines which had 14 volunteers in each line.
These efforts spearheaded by Acer Malaysia has only one intention – to contribute towards the ending of hunger especially amongst those in poverty.
The meal packing was aptly held on World Peace Day which fell on 21 September 2013. 1 Utama Shopping Centre stepped forward to provide the concourse in its Old Wing for the packing to take place, further helping to create awareness of the programme.
Stop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aids around the world.
Acer Malaysia started the programme with Stop Hunger Now in July this year and set out to raise a target of RM50,000. True to Malaysian generosity, the target was exceeded and now some 60,000 hungry stomachs will have food with the RM60,000 raised.
The two and half months of the Acer Malaysia-Stop Hunger Now programme saw various activities being undertaken to raise the targeted amount. Starting with an initial kick-off fund of RM10,000 which was donated by Acer Malaysia, the funds flowed in from product auctions, RM5 contribution from every Acer product sold at Pikom PC Fair, Malaysian IT Fair (MITF) and Acer roadshows as well as donations that were made online.
Ricky Tan, General Manager of Acer Sales & Services Sdn Bhd said, “We are very happy to join hands with Stop Hunger Now for such a humanitarian project. The response we received from the public is encouraging. We are privileged to have this opportunity to give back to society and help make a difference by providing and packing these nutritious meals. Our contribution is not big but I believe the effort will go far in improving the life of the less fortunate. As communities work together by taking action against hunger and poverty, we can make a difference.”
Remy Wong, 25, an Advertising and Promotion Executive from Kuala Lumpur, one of the supporters who were at hand to help pack the meals said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to do my small part in giving back to society. My daily lunch costs almost RM10. While it is just one meal for me, the same amount can feed up to 10 people via Stop Hunger Now meal packs. Until now, I didn’t realise that my one lunch can make a difference to so many people. I am inspired by this deed by Acer Malaysia and Stop Hunger Now to do my part to help. And I will definitely be making more effort to not waste food now!”
Stop Hunger Now meals are full of nutrition and vitamin, can be stored easily and has a long shelf life. Each meal pack consists of rice, soy flakes, dehydrated vegetables and vitamins. These meal packages will be delivered to the people who are in need, especially disaster areas.
For more information on the Stop Hunger Now, please visit http://www.stophungernow.org/.
