THE underprivileged staying in the Desa Wawasan People’s Housing Project (PPR) and the Jalan Sungai PPR will be the first to receive the regenerative organic vegetable terrariums.
Penang Welfare an Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, who is also the PgCare Alliance chairman, said the terrariums would be able to help the needy who are struggling with food and nutrition insecurity due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have selected two PPR projects – one in Bukit Mertajam and the other in Sungai Pinang – to present the vegetable terrariums. We will then expand from there.
“We will hand over the vegetable terrariums to Padang Lalang assemblyman Chong Eng and Sungai Pinang assemblyman Lim Siew Khim for them to be distributed to the needy folk at the PPR projects.
“We will teach them how to maintain and to harvest. One box can last up to a year,” he said in Komtar.
Phee hoped that the vegetable terrariums could generate the interest of urban farming among the recipients.
PWD Smart Farmability (PWDSF) and Kairos Agriculture had signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on Oct 5 last year, where both parties have committed to the production of 6,000 units of terrariums in a year.
According to the media release, the vegetable terrarium production capacity is functioning at its peak now in Kairos Agriculture’s dedicated 2,000sq ft greenhouse. Both social enterprises jointly pledged to donate 1,000 units of vegetable terrariums worth more than RM150,000 to the needy.
A simple presentation to PgCare Alliance was held in Komtar today. It was witnessed by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
Chow thanked the partners for making the collaborative effort a success.
“This is another example of a successful collaborative effort under the PgCare Alliance, where partners come together to meet the special needs of the community.
“We welcome this drive to distribute nutritious food (vegetable terrariums) to the needy. A total of 1,000 vegetable terrariums will be made available for the needy community,” he said.
PgCare Alliance mental health task force chairman Datuk Seri Leslie Lee thanked PWDSF founder and chief executive officer Dr Billy Tang Chee Seng for stepping forward to help the marginalised and the needy.
Dr Tang said food plays a very important role.
“We want to bring food safety which is vital for the people’s mental health,” he said.
Among those present were PgCare Alliance chief planner and coordinator Dr Ngoo Seong Boon and committee Datuk Dennis Chuah.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Law Suun Ting
Video by Ahmad Adil Muhamad