MARGMA Foundation have allocated RM500,000 to support 500 families in Bandar Tun Razak to receive weekly provisions of fresh food through Think City’s Bakul K2K platform. Think City, an urban impact organisation dedicated to making cities more liveable, resilient and sustainable, launched the Bakul K2K platform which retails fresh food baskets to selected low-income housing communities in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor at low and affordable prices.
MARGMA Foundation initiated a Healthy Food, Better Learning campaign after receiving numerous reports and findings on poor health and nutrition among public housing communities which can lead to long-term consequences.
To kickstart the launch of Bakul K2K, MARGMA and Think City organised a community programme called Hari Pengenalan Bakul K2K, officiated by Bandar Tun Razak Member of Parliament, YB Dato’ Haji Kamarudin Jaffar and attended by 50 families receiving the food baskets. Activities at the event, held on 4 December, included a community engagement by Teach for Malaysia to raise awareness about their educational prorgamme for children who need additional tutoring.
In his speech, YB Dato’ Haji Kamarudin Jaffar thanked the MARGMA Foundation, Think City and the Residents’ Associations for bringing the initiative to the heart of the city. He said, “Recognising the challenges faced by the B40 community in my Parliamentary area, I am hopeful that initiatives like these will increase the resilience and the fortitude residents have already shown in weathering through the Covid-19 pandemic. I urge various agencies and stakeholders to work together to ensure that the B40 community is not left further behind, especially at the expense of future generations who have the potential to lift the community out of poverty.”
The food baskets distributed contained a whole chicken and a selection of fresh vegetables with good source of protein, vitamins and minerals to encourage balance food intake to help alleviate poor health and nutritions. The programme will consists of weekly provisions for at least 500 families with children from seven to 19 years old, residing in Perumahan Awam (PA) Seri Kota, Perumahan Awam (PA) Seri Sabah 3B and Perumahan Awam (PA) Seri Melaka in Bandar Tun Razak, along with nutrition education and cooking classes with the community.
Addressing the recipients and audience at the Hari Pengenalan Bakul K2K, the Chairman of MARGMA Foundation, Mr Denis Low Jau Foo outlined the importance of access to healthy food for families, especially for children in need of a balanced diet and optimum nutrition for their physical and mental development as well as to advance further in their education.
“We always believe that the welfare and wellbeing of all humanity starts with the ability to share and share alike. It is wise and clever to assume that a healthy body makes up a healthy mind too, hence this noble idea of providing enough nutritional food to the students in this community. MARGMA Foundation is projecting to spend RM1 million annually to uplift the wellbeing of students by providing nutritious food, school accessories and some pocket money to deserving students. A shared joy is a double joy and whatever is within our means to elevate the livelihood of our fellow humanity, MARGMA Foundation will certainly do so.”
As part of Think City’s K2K (Kita-untuk-Kita) programme which aims to improve the quality of life and standards of living within public housing, Bakul K2K is an initiative that offers public housing residents the opportunity to access fresh and affordable food, delivered to their apartment complexes through purchases made via the Bakul K2K website. As Bakul K2K is a non-profit initiative, fresh foods sold are priced close to wholesale value to help lower the cost of living.
Hamdan Abdul Majeed, Managing Director of Think City, highlighted that low-income communities, specifically those residing in public housing, face many challenges, which have been heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Existing challenges in poor nutritional health, mental health, and access to home education for school-going children, among others, have been further exacerbated by increases in the cost of living. There is a need to revitalise public housing and ensure that these communities can build their capacity to navigate and survive these challenging times.
“It is encouraging to see members from the private sector working with us to identify ways to alleviate this issue and provide sustainable solutions that benefit all parties,” said Hamdan.
To redeem their baskets, residents from selected public housing are required to register on the Bakul K2K website with a voucher sponsored by MARGMA Foundation. The baskets are then delivered direct to the public housing complex on a weekly basis. Initially piloted at Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) Hicom in Shah Alam, the Bakul K2K initiative is now expanding to public housing projects in Bandar Tun Razak.
Think City’s K2K (Kita-untuk-Kita) programme aims to improve the quality of life and standards of living within public housing. The programme emphasises a holistic approach by working with the community to develop solutions to meet the social, economic, health and physical infrastructure aspects of public housing renewal.
Bakul K2K is an initiative under K2K, targeted at reducing the cost of living and increasing access to healthy food at affordable prices for families living in low-income housing. For more information on Bakul K2K, visit www.myk2k.com.my.
