PETALING JAYA, Dec 31 — It is often said a tough year can either make or break us.
And once again, in the face of a pandemic that has overstayed its welcome, kind deeds by ordinary Malaysians offered many that much-needed fuzzy feeling to cope with a challenging 2021.
Malay Mail has compiled some of the best random acts of kindness as we look back on the year that was.
Asam laksa stall owner sends elderly man free meal because delivery fee was too much
Food delivery services allowed us to enjoy our favourite dishes without leaving home during the lockdown.
But not everyone can afford to pay high delivery fees for eateries that are further away.
In this instance, the delivery fee for two bowls of curry laksa amounted to RM22 which was more than the cost of the food so the stall owners decided to send an 81-year-old customer an entire meal for free.
Read the full story here.
Malaysian parents teach toddler to be kind to sanitation worker
Despite being a developing country, Malaysia relies heavily on foreign workers to carry out 3D (dirty, dangerous, difficult) jobs like garbage collection.
A husband and wife duo earned praise from the public for teaching their toddler to show appreciation to those who serve the public daily by practising small acts of kindness such as handing out drink packets.
Read the full story here.
Good Samaritan finds lost wallet with RM3,000 cash, returns it by mail
A man in Rawang who had dropped his wallet while refuelling his car near Batu Caves was made even more devastated due to the fact he was carrying around RM3,000 in cash.
Three weeks later, he received it in the mail along with a note from the kind stranger who found the wallet.
In return, the grateful man and his fiancée invited the Good Samaritan to their December wedding.
Read the full story here.
Uncle Kentang helps hungry college student who used allowance to support mum
A story on random acts of kindness wouldn’t be complete without everyone’s favourite charity hero, Uncle Kentang also known as Kuan Chee Heng.
A student from Permatang Pauh, who uses his allowance from college to support his mum, contacted Kuan for food aid when he couldn’t ignore his hunger anymore.
Among his many charitable acts, Kuan also came to the aid of a widow with three starving children by giving her RM500 and bought her a new fridge on the eve of the second movement control order in January this year.
Read the full story here.
Segambut man gifts pair of shoes to J&T rider
The generosity of Mohd Faithal Abu Samah went viral on TikTok after he gave a J&T rider a pair of relatively new sneakers.
Faithal noticed the rider would deliver parcels wearing an old pair of shoes and decided to give him a pair he’s only worn a few times.
“I also believe that one doesn’t need to be rich to help those around them and to help in whatever way possible,” he said.
Read the full story here.
Penang man turns car into food bank
The continuous lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid-19 pushed daily wage earners and low-income families to the brink of starvation and unprecedented hardship.
Penangite Azizul Rahim did his part to assist his community by loading his car up with essential household items like bread, rice, eggs and Milo with a sign that read, “Please take what you need, it’s free.”
Read the full story here.
Foodpanda rider helps food seller make ‘roti canai’ to cope with orders
A Penang Foodpanda rider rolled up his sleeves and helped a stall vendor who was inundated with roti canai orders.
The elderly stall owner had only just joined the food delivery app and had a tough time coping with the flood of orders from hungry customers.
It was a good thing the rider has been making roti canai from a young age with his parents who used to own a food business and he was probably the best thing that happened to the stressed-out seller on that busy day.
Read the full story here.
Malaysian BTS fans send special McDonald’s meal to frontliners
It was a sweet moment of K-pop fandom that turned into a charitable deed for hospital frontliners who worked tirelessly to treat Covid-19 patients.
One of the highlights of Malaysian fans of the Korean boyband BTS this year was the special edition McDonald’s meal that everyone waited in line for.
BTS ARMYs in Malaysia made sure to share the coveted meal with the nation’s heroes by distributing more than 200 sets of the fast-food meal at various hospitals and the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS).
Read the full story here.
