Mr Edwin shared
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sibilin has a very good structure of social mission plan to serve the poor. The soup kitchen is one of the programs the church started many years ago during Lent as a way of almsgiving. Now, this program is a blessing to about 100 poor people, twice a week in the small town of Ipoh.
Read the sharing from the volunteer Mr. Edwin, how he and his team had turned the Lenten campaign into a work of the charity in his neighbourhood for 13 consecutive years.
I am Edwin Gomez and I am a parishioner at Church of Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL), Ipoh.
What kind charity work are you involved in?
I am the Coordinator for OLOL Soup Kitchen which serves approximately 100 persons lunch every Wednesdays and Thursdays.
We serve the poor and /or needy. We station ourselves at a public venue, beside the jogging track at First Garden in Ipoh.
What inspires you to feed the hungry?
We feel it is our Christian duty to serve the poor and we give meaning to the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves.
How do you motivate your friends to join in your mission?
Those who serve in this ministry have been invited to see what we do and have been inspired by what they see and want to be part of the ministry.
Do you pray for the person you met? How do you pray for them?
Before we begin, we spend a couple of minutes in prayer. We pray for those who have come for the food, we pray for the sponsors and donors and we ask God to bless the food and to give the poor the strength to uplift themselves from the present situation. We also ask the Holy Spirit to give us the gifts and strength we need to carry out our call of duty.
Tell us the humble start of this soup kitchen program?
OLOL Soup Kitchen started as a form of Lenten almsgiving in 2009, initially serving about 30 persons. It was initiated by some parishioners from Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Ipoh Garden and parishioners from Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Ipoh. After Lent in 2009, some who were involved in the project felt that it would be a good idea to continue the project as it served an important need in the community. To date the Soup Kitchen is self-funded and is supported by donors and sponsors from both parishes and also by some believers of other faiths.
Tell us one experience you had with the poor.
On one occasion ( pre-pandemic) when we were about to close for the day and thought that we were serving the last person, another person came along. There was sufficient food left for only one person. Nevertheless, the lady who was ahead asked us to give part of the food to the person who was behind her. Some of us were doubtful whether we ourselves would have reacted so generously.
What is your advice if someone is interested in doing what you are doing in their own community?
All of us are called to live out our faith as Christians. We need to read the Scriptures, especially the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels. Chapter 25 of Mathew’s Gospel should stir Catholics to reach out to the poor and needy. It is not an option, it is mandatory.
Safeguarding is foundational to all Caritas’ work. This formation will equip you to identify different forms of abuse and exploitation, and teach practical steps to protect the people we serve and prevent them from further harm.
Parishioners across the Diocese of Penang rolled up their sleeves to aid those in need during the season of Lent. We are grateful for their efforts to give others hope through their actions!
Caritas Penang operates under the jurisdiction of The Titular Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang.
