FNB KL Chinese New Year Programme
Angpows for the homeless, calling for your contributions!
From Food Not Bombs KL:
Dear good people,
Since the collective decision propelled the existence of Food Not Bombs in Kuala Lumpur eight years ago, we have been consistent with our credo “Reuse, Recycle & Reduce” and in creating space for everyone to participate and contribute in our weekly food serving for the homeless in downtown KL. From serving meals to a dozen, we are now steadily serving up to 120 individuals every Sunday, 6 pm, St. John Church in Jalan Bukit Nenas.
In conjunction of Chinese New Year this year, FNB KL is organising an ‘angpow’ giveaway to the participating homeless. Aside from special dishes and mandarins, we are thinking of gifts, warped nicely in red plastic bags before distributing it on the 10th February’s food serving.
In doing so, FNB KL is looking at all sort of things, essential and non-essential (example below) according to what the individuals’ wishes to have. This weekend, we will have our volunteers talking to each participating homeless and note down items requested.
Through this chain of message, we hope to collect as many things as possible by 7th February so that we can prepare the angpow in advance. At the moment, we have two collecting points; one in Bangsar Utama (near Mydin Restaurant) and the other is the Lost Generation Arthouse in Seputeh. The collection will be sorted by our volunteers according to the list.
You can make the contribution by contacting persons below at any time. We can also pick up the goods at your premise if you call us. Your presence will be appreciated.
Contact persons:
Ibrahim – 012 9272366
Nunu – 012 3488260
Poodien – 013 2437092
Tad – 012 6822535
Thank you.
On behalf of FNB KL,
Tad
Essentials:
1 – Clothing: tops, trousers, sarong (kain pelikats), undergarments (e.g. bras), blankets, footwears and bags (all sizes, clean and ready-to-wear)
2 – Toiletries, detergents, cleaning agents and clinical products (all sorts)
3 – Plastic plates, cups and cutleries, water containers, kitchen wares and portable table
Non-essentials
1 – Umbrellas, rain coats, headgears, belts
2 – Anti-septic, bandages, applicable and non-prescriptive drugs
3 – Multivitamins, energy drinks (e.g. chicken essence) and food (preferably vegetarian)
Note: You guys can also drop the contribution at The Ricecooker Shop. Come round at about 1pm onwards.
hey.. ‘homeless’ is the capitalists term for ppl who dnt have (or want) no house. ehem.. the more politically correct word is ‘homefree’. i want angpow too!!
wah perdebatan enggak menarik ‘homeless or homefree’. bukan hal yang esensial…
dear alind, i believe the terms collide.
“homeless” is a condition, mostly NOT of a person’s choosing, i.e. the Berembang experience, where people were displaced, their homes bulldozed. No homes but they want homes.
“home-free” is a mainly a condition arisen from a person’s choosing. He or she does NOT want to be in a home. i.e., “nomads”; for them “home = bad” and “homeless = good”. So being “homefree” is a positive thing, a strike at the “landlords”, thus a strike at the “system”. To NOT have a home is to be free of “property”, to not subscribe to being “owned” or “to own” etc.
It all could be another “optimistic” VS “pessimistic” argument – the glass is “half-full” or “half-empty” – depending on the person saying it, but I seriously doubt the KL-ites “with-no-fixed-abodes” being served by FNBKL are happy that they don’t have a proper roof over their heads.
dear joe,
i guess what you said do make sense. and i must agree that the term can sound more like an option rather than something being enforce on anyone. but how would you say in a situation like the orang asli? on malaysian law in 50’s, they are considered well somehow ‘illegal’ on their on land i.e, at any given time subjected to eviction, relocation, or end up living on the streets. assumming that they are living on their own land (which of course they are), themselves, just like the case that relate to people in berembang, well isn’t that somehow can be called homefree as well? so the question here is whether or not you are living under a roof, but if it’s you submit to the capitalist land and housing schemes. i’m definitely sure there’s no term ‘homeless’ in the old time, whether you live in a hut, on the street or in a cave. this still up for debate i guess.
justeru perdebatan dan hal mana yang lebih menarik atau esensial bebex?
dear whoever,
i guess i am with alind on this one. the term “homeless” somehow has a negative connotation to it as it is always associated with peoples behaviour instead of options. the same concept, i guess, can be applied to other terms e.g. drug addicts (drug users) or prostitute (sex worker). somehow saying drug addict seem more derogatory than saying drug user. the term drug addict gives you the impression of someone sleeping under the bridge with a needle still stuck on his/her hand or something, i dunno. whereas in reality thats not the case. so i would say homefree is a better term as it doesnt have negative connotation to it.
this seems complicated issue on language itself and perhaps translation and my note here may not directly to respond to all the notes above..its a quick respond .. in reality the term ‘homelessness’ has always been disturbing in the city or remote area where the ‘native’ are. and yes its urgent very urgent
I remember what i learn from many old black n white films (malay of cos) theres a phrase ‘aku ini dagang perantau’. This expression do actually means alot to me as kids because i love to travel but im afraid of ‘otherness’. but it is ‘aku ini dagang perantau’ which bring me some courage to travel out of spore to malaysia and thailand starting from johor because it make me understand that there is others who are not so different from me and helps (if its not to much) needed it will come almost emmediately. it is a quality of a ‘society’ (and mentality) which is larger then just one ethinic group and it is because of our long very long history as ‘family who care and adopt’. Keluarga angkat they call it…hospitality some say it
I have always been concern that our sense of brotherhood, sisterhood, family (humanity etc) is troubled by politicise view on who we are..we will definitely bring food alittle to late when what the suffering soul need is a proper grave.
the geography for the nomad is large and their idea of home is not necessarily a house partly because they travel base on where there is food in a specific season. so they see ‘home’ as a large landscape and most nomad have more then 10 ‘house’ in many cases this house spread in such a large area that it became problematic. especially for developers and the govt. ‘how could such poor people living in such a luxurious lanscape?”
as for people (from village?) who wanna try their luck in a city like K.L or even here in spore..and end up as drug addict or whatever..it is an old story…but who care about this people? i do felt it become a duty for those who ‘understand’ the politic of the city life (who care) to make them feel at ‘home’ and thats not necessrily about house or shelter but when there is one person willingly to give a bowl of rice it does make alot of different for those unfortunate people in the city.
it does make you feel at home even if you are under a bridge eating your plain rice. hunger, thirst, cold, lonelyness etc. is always an urgent issue for unfortunate soul and it need to be attended if not now..yesterday.
when there is more and more ‘homeless’ people not attended in the city it is not only the govt have a problem (or corrupt) but also the society itself who have lost their sense of humanity while they are busy with culculator or dictionary or lampu kelap kelip.
i respect food not bombs as gesture/effort to make several people feel atleast comfortable for a day or two and a smile.. im not sure if one think much about home when food itself is such a problems.
… dan kemudian ini menjadi menarik adalah karena respons yang beragam tentang ‘term’ itu. hahahaha..ini yang aku maksud ‘telah menjadi menarik’.
well, there are options:
“outdoor urban dwellers”
“residentially flexible”
and to keep up the etiquette, read more:
The PC Lexicon