By Karen Bong
KUCHING, March 27: A family of six with four children from Taman Dahlia, Mile 5, got to experience and enjoy a lavish buffet-style feast for the first time as they gathered around the table to break fast at Imperial Garden Restaurant of Imperial Hotel Kuching tonight.
Siti Aishah Selaman, 34, and her husband Mohd Edrus Abni, 42, said they felt blessed to be able to enjoy so many delicious foods which they could not afford otherwise due to their circumstances.
“Our family, especially our four children, with the youngest at just two years old, enjoyed the meal, and we are really happy to be invited. So this is really a huge blessing for this Ramadan,” the full-time homemaker told DayakDaily when met.
When asked about the preparation for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Siti Aishah said the celebration would be a simple one as her husband, who works as a labourer, did not have a stable income.
“Tonight, we got to enjoy so many dishes, with many of them we have never tried before. So I often tell my children, we live within our means, and we don’t have to follow others,” she added.
Siti Aishah’s family were among the six underprivileged families invited to Imperial Garden Restaurant’s ‘Jom Makan Buka Puasa Buffet’ tonight by Imperial Hotel Kuching in collaboration with Hope Place Kuching.
As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), Imperial Hotel Kuching hopes to spread Ramadan joy to those in need, more so during this holy month of Ramadan, known as a ‘month of giving and sharing’.
Meanwhile, Hope Place founder Kelvin Wan said these six families were among 274 hardcore poor families in Kuching under its care, regardless of race or religion.
“The real challenge we face to this day is taking care of families with people with special needs (OKU) because they need special milk formula and diapers, which are expensive just to maintain their lives.
“So far, we have more than 50 OKU under our care. So we appeal to the public for donations to enable us to help these people and hope to reach out to more people in dire need,” he said.
Besides breaking fast, Imperial Hotel Kuching general manager Patrick Kuek also presented ‘Duit Raya’ to about 30 individuals from the six families.
The Hotel’s Social and Recreation Club (SRC) also took the opportunity to present a goodie bag comprising essential food items for each family.
Kueh also presented a certificate to Cat City Holidays as a token of appreciation for sponsoring to bring the families from their homes to the hotel. — DayakDaily
