By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Dec 1: Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), in collaboration with the Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Sarawak (Sabati), distributed food baskets and festive cookie packets to 100 needy individuals and families here.
PETRONAS Sarawak general manager Norazibah Md Rabu said that in ushering in this Christmas season, PETRONAS and Sabati are continuing the festive tradition of gifting, spreading joy, and festive cheer by distributing food baskets and delightful cookie packets to families in the community.
Norazibah elaborated that the families were identified through 10 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from Kuching.
She added the NGOs are Rumah Seri Kenangan Kuching, Sarawak Chesire Home, PERKATA Special School, Sarawak Society for the Blind, Sarawak Society for the Deaf, Sarawak Orphan Children Welfare Association (Peryatim) Kuching, Sarawak Hun Nam Siang Tng, Rumah Kanak-Kanak Toh Puan Hajah Norkiah Kuching, Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society, and Taman Seri Puteri Kuching.
“The food baskets, valued at RM200 each, contain rice, cooking oil, sugar, flour, canned food, crackers, condiments, sauces, dry noodles, coffee, tea, and packet drinks,” she said before the handover ceremony during the ‘PETRONAS Sarawak Pre-Christmas Hi-Tea’ at a local hotel here today.
The event was officiated by the Sabati president and the wife of the Sarawak Premier, Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang, represented by Sabati deputy president Dato Dayang Morliah Awang Daud.
Meanwhile, Norazidah also announced that PETRONAS’ social impact arm, Yayasan PETRONAS, gave away 600 care packages to households that were impacted by floods through the Sarawak Social Welfare Department (JKM), as part of PETRONAS’ Uplifting Lives initiative.
“The packages, worth about RM300 each, contain necessities such as blankets, toiletries, towels, cutleries, ready-to-eat (MRE) meals, and drinking water. These provisions were prepared to ensure that the flood victims’ basic needs were met during challenging times.”
At the same event, PETRONAS also symbolically handed over RM10,000 worth of badminton equipment to the Kuching District Education Office, to be distributed to five schools namely SMK Tabuan Jaya, SMK Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor, SJK(C) Chung Hua No. 4, SMK Penrissen, and SMK Kota Samarahan.
She added that this initiative is a collaboration between PETRONAS and the Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM).
Norazidah said that PETRONAS also symbolically handed over basic medical equipment worth about RM50,000 each to six rural clinics in Sarawak, namely the Daro Health Clinic, Tanjung Manis Health Clinic, Sebangan Health Clinic, Sebauh Health Clinic, Nanga Tau Health Clinic, and Machan Health Clinic.
Before this, she added PETRONAS provided medical equipment to eight rural clinics, namely the Nanga Mujau Health Clinic, Sadong Jaya Health Clinic, Nanga Medamit Health Clinic, Santubong Health Clinic, Batang Ai Health Clinic, Sundar Health Clinic, Kuala Balingian Health Clinic, and Kapit Health Clinic.
Meanwhile, SABATI secretary-general Dato Enn Ong Siok Ean praised PETRONAS for being their strategic partner in the State for its communities and for entrusting them with a total investment of RM 1.3 million.
“This included the collaborative project on the rural clinics in the State that has made a substantial impact on the well-being of the affected communities all over Sarawak,” she said. — DayakDaily
