Kembara Kitchen, a social enterprise, has been at the forefront of delivering "hero meals" - ready-to-eat meals, as well as essential supplies to affected communities.
As of Sunday (Dec 1), the organisation has distributed over 55,000 food aid packages to flood victims in Kedah, Johor, and Kelantan.
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As of Sunday (Dec 1), the organisation has distributed over 55,000 food aid packages to flood victims in Kedah, Johor, and Kelantan.
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
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NewsTranscript
00:00Amid the devastation caused by floods, efforts to provide aid remain relentless.
00:10Kembara Kitchen, a social enterprise, has been at the forefront, delivering ready-to-eat
00:15meals called Hero Meals, as well as essential supplies to affected communities.
00:20It started off in 2015 after the big flood all over Malaysia as a catering company.
00:29The reason why we did that was because when we went to Kuala Krai during the 2015 big
00:36flood, we realised that we do not know how to cook for huge quantities.
00:41We don't have the utensils, we don't have the kitchen equipment to handle cooking for
00:46that type of quantity.
00:48So we set up a catering company because catering, you need to produce huge amount of food at
00:54one time also.
00:56So it acts as a training ground for all of us throughout the entire year in preparation
01:00for flood relief.
01:02With the help of volunteers from all walks of life, Kembara Kitchen has gone full swing,
01:07preparing nearly 1,000 packets of Hero Meals to date.
01:11What we provide to the flood victims is called Hero Meals.
01:14These meals are ready to eat.
01:16They do not need to be refrigerated and they can last up to two years.
01:21Why the food can stay fresh for so long is because it goes through this process called
01:26retort.
01:27So what happens is after they cook, the food needs to be packed into the retort pouches
01:33within maximum four hours.
01:36From there, they have to hurry up and seal it.
01:39So after they sealed it, they put it into a retort machine, which operates at a minimum
01:44of one to one degree Celsius.
01:47So that very high heat and the pressure in the retort machine will actually help to kill
01:52the microbes.
01:53Their ready to eat dishes includes rice with vegetable curry, spaghetti bolognese, chicken
01:59curry and various other hearty options that can be quickly distributed and consumed.
02:05Yilin noted that a distribution hub and operations base have been set up in Guamusang, Kelantan
02:11to coordinate aid efforts for flood victims and emergency response teams.
02:16Guamusang is a hub.
02:17It's like a logistics distribution hub.
02:20So from KL, we send everything over to Guamusang and from there it channels out to wherever
02:25it can go.
02:26Well, basically before we leave for any flood relief, we actually get in touch with the
02:32local agencies.
02:33It can be the police, it can be the bomber, it can be APM, anyone who is on the ground.
02:39We first get that okay to make sure that we are allowed to go into that state to provide
02:45help.
02:46Number two, we also work with them to find out which routes are clear of floodwaters.
02:52Beside food, the team also provides essential items to the flood victims like diapers, milk
02:58powder packets and sanitary pads to those affected.
03:02As of Sunday, Kembara Kitchen has distributed over 55,000 food aid packages to flood victims
03:09in Kedah, Johor and Kelantan.
03:12What draws me here is the group of people that is not based on race or anything.
03:18We are zero race, so I do not know who I meet here and we treat everybody as a square.
03:26And it's quite a worthwhile thing to do, to contribute our effort in terms of our strength,
03:35our time, not only monetary, not necessarily that part.
03:40So what we gain is to see the happy face of those recipients.
03:46That's what we as a Malaysian, we have to play our part.
03:49I am 16 years old, I have been volunteering with Kembara Kitchen for five years now.
03:55It matured me a lot and made me realise that actually what we do, it helps a lot of people
04:00because I myself, I sent the help to them before, so I understand and I really, truly
04:07enjoy helping them also.
04:10With the number of flood victims rising, the organisation has issued an urgent call for
04:15volunteers to support their ongoing relief efforts.