HOPE PLACE SERVES IN SADONG JAYA PROJECT BY HOPE KUCHING

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matt 5:35-36, 40) 

Hope Place was birthed out of the vision and heart of God for those who are needy, poor and hurting. It is set up as an NGO to provide for the needy and underprivileged. Hope Place now serves and supports 80 families in and around Kuching. One of the communities that Hope Place serves is Sadong Jaya, which is about 2 hours’ drive from Kuching. On 19 April, Hope Place and one of the congregations in Hope Kuching went to Sadong Jaya to distribute food aid to 158 poor and needy families in Sadong Jaya. Other than providing to the poor, the objective of this project is to build bridges with the community in order to bring the Good News to the lost. 

This project was done in collaboration with the Resident’s Office in Sadong Jaya. Hope Place communicated with the Resident’s Office to find out the economic and welfare situation of the people there. Before this activity even started, the officers from Resident Office Sadong Jaya helped Hope Place to assess the eligibility of the food aid candidates. This is to make sure that the food aid only goes to the poor and needy in the area. 

The team from Hope Kuching and volunteers from Hope Place left for Sadong Jaya at 5 am. The team and the lorry transporting the food items arrived in Sadong Jaya Community Hall at 7am. The team started to unload the food items from the lorry and to set up the hall before the food aid distribution began at 8.30am. The team was very encouraged because many villagers came early to help in the unloading work. The headman of the village and his family were also there to help us. The officer from Resident’s Office was also present help us to coordinate. The team started to distribute the food aid at 8.30am according to the registered name list. The distribution was very smooth and it was completed by 10 am. 

All in all, Hope Place distributed 316 packs of rice, 316 packs of sugar, 158 packs of Milo, 2,528 packs of noodles, 1,896 packs of biscuits, 316 packs of milk powder and 158 bottles of cooking oil to the 158 needy families. The recipients of the food aid are mainly poor single parent families, families with disabled children or parents, sick elderly people and adults without financial support and care and families with more than 5 people with an monthly income of less than RM500. The community was very grateful and happy that this aid came just in time for them.