Failing to get employment in their qualified fields, the 10 friends took up jobs as e-hailing drivers, and decided to help the needy by contributing their time and some of their income.

One of them, former logistics sector worker Victor Reddy, said they had known each other for about three years and decided to help the distressed.

“We collected money among ourselves to provide food supplies for the poor, single parents, the handicapped, other e-hailing drivers and those who need cash.

“We started doing this about a month ago. Prior to this, we were helping out on an individual basis,” he told FMT.

The 10 friends have been focusing their aid on areas under EMCO lockdown, especially low-income residents in flats.

They first helped a family of four in Klang after the breadwinner of the family, a bus driver, contracted Covid-19.

“He narrowly escaped death as his lungs were badly damaged by the virus. Doctors told him that he can’t work for a while,” said Reddy.

They each contributed RM40 to RM50 and bought the family a month’s worth of groceries.

The 10 friends have now turned their sights to a low-income residential area in Klang called One Flats in Bukit Tinggi, which is under EMCO.

Reddy said the many families there do not have enough money to buy food.

“We are cooking food for some 300 families with the help of volunteers daily until the EMCO is over,” he said.

He said they had opened a Facebook page called “Kita Kawan Sama Kapal” to get more people to join them and help out.

He said those who want to help may contribute as little as RM10 a month.

He said they are transparent with their accounts as the weekly expenditure is printed out.

“The amount received will have to tally with the money spent,” he said.

Reddy said that with job losses because of the Covid-19 pandemic, there are many families struggling to buy food and any help would go a long way to help them.