00:00Amid the devastation caused by floods, efforts to provide aid remain relentless.
00:10Kembara Kitchen, a social enterprise, has been at the forefront, delivering ready-to-eat
00:15meals called Hero Meals, as well as essential supplies to affected communities.
00:20It started off in 2015 after the big flood all over Malaysia as a catering company.
00:29The reason why we did that was because when we went to Kuala Krai during the 2015 big
00:36flood, we realised that we do not know how to cook for huge quantities.
00:41We don't have the utensils, we don't have the kitchen equipment to handle cooking for
00:46that type of quantity.
00:48So we set up a catering company because catering, you need to produce huge amount of food at
00:54one time also.
00:56So it acts as a training ground for all of us throughout the entire year in preparation
01:00for flood relief.
01:02With the help of volunteers from all walks of life, Kembara Kitchen has gone full swing,
01:07preparing nearly 1,000 packets of Hero Meals to date.
01:11What we provide to the flood victims is called Hero Meals.
01:14These meals are ready to eat.
01:16They do not need to be refrigerated and they can last up to two years.
01:21Why the food can stay fresh for so long is because it goes through this process called
01:26retort.
01:27So what happens is after they cook, the food needs to be packed into the retort pouches
01:33within maximum four hours.
01:36From there, they have to hurry up and seal it.
01:39So after they sealed it, they put it into a retort machine, which operates at a minimum
01:44of one to one degree Celsius.
01:47So that very high heat and the pressure in the retort machine will actually help to kill
01:52the microbes.
01:53Their ready to eat dishes includes rice with vegetable curry, spaghetti bolognese, chicken
01:59curry and various other hearty options that can be quickly distributed and consumed.
02:05Yilin noted that a distribution hub and operations base have been set up in Guamusang, Kelantan
02:11to coordinate aid efforts for flood victims and emergency response teams.
02:16Guamusang is a hub.
02:17It's like a logistics distribution hub.
02:20So from KL, we send everything over to Guamusang and from there it channels out to wherever
02:25it can go.
02:26Well, basically before we leave for any flood relief, we actually get in touch with the
02:32local agencies.
02:33It can be the police, it can be the bomber, it can be APM, anyone who is on the ground.
02:39We first get that okay to make sure that we are allowed to go into that state to provide
02:45help.
02:46Number two, we also work with them to find out which routes are clear of floodwaters.
02:52Beside food, the team also provides essential items to the flood victims like diapers, milk
02:58powder packets and sanitary pads to those affected.
03:02As of Sunday, Kembara Kitchen has distributed over 55,000 food aid packages to flood victims
03:09in Kedah, Johor and Kelantan.
03:12What draws me here is the group of people that is not based on race or anything.
03:18We are zero race, so I do not know who I meet here and we treat everybody as a square.
03:26And it's quite a worthwhile thing to do, to contribute our effort in terms of our strength,
03:35our time, not only monetary, not necessarily that part.
03:40So what we gain is to see the happy face of those recipients.
03:46That's what we as a Malaysian, we have to play our part.
03:49I am 16 years old, I have been volunteering with Kembara Kitchen for five years now.
03:55It matured me a lot and made me realise that actually what we do, it helps a lot of people
04:00because I myself, I sent the help to them before, so I understand and I really, truly
04:07enjoy helping them also.
04:10With the number of flood victims rising, the organisation has issued an urgent call for
04:15volunteers to support their ongoing relief efforts.
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