Festive food and giving

Early into the fasting month, the Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) was abuzz with activity as close to a hundred Muslims gathered to break their fast during an Iftar Ramadan ceremony hosted by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).
At the event, PKNS made a contribution of as much as RM70,000, collected from across its business entities. The donation went to 10 non-governmental organisations, including Pertubuhan Khidmat Masyarakat Cacat Penglihataan Malaysia, Persatuan Orang Pekak Islam Malaysia (PRISMA), Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (Persatuan IMAM), Yayasan Al Ikhlas, Pusat Jagaan Al-Fikrah Malaysia, Yayasan Kanser Malaysia, Majlis Kanser Negara and Maahad Tahfiz Pulau Meranti Puchong.
Each received RM7,000, with Selgate Corporation Sdn Bhd and Selangor Industrial Corporation Sdn Bhd donating the same amount to Pondok Motivasi Tahfiz Hamlatu Quran and Pusat Tahfiz Sofiuddin Kampung Delek respectively.
PKNS corporate communications manager Ishak Hashim explained that the iftar ceremony is an annual event hosted each Ramadan, where other than celebrating the less fortunate, the occasion cultivates ‘ukhuwah’ among PKNS members.
In addition, PKNS sponsored five families. “We’ve given the children from these families ‘duit raya’, and their families’ grocery expenses. We hope that these bring joy to the recipients for the upcoming Ramadan and Aidilfitri period,” Ishak said.
According to Ishak, the five families were taken shopping to get basic necessities at Kompleks PKNS Shah Alam prior the event. Each had the choice to pick out new Hari Raya attire. Overall expenditure totaled some RM5,302.
One of the recipients, Putri Patrisia Abdullah thanked PKNS for their charity. “I’m at a loss for words as my husband and child now have ‘baju raya’. This is the first time I’ve been sponsored after accepting Islam in 2013,” she said.
On May 20, PKNS through a collaborative effort with SACC Convec and Yayasan Salam Malaysia, aided the underprivileged via a donation of food provisions and a buka puasa meal at Menara Maybank, Kuala Lumpur.