Prior to the pandemic, Yong conducted walking tours mainly in Kuala Lumpur’s city centre. “My clients were foreigners who were mostly dignitaries and top management [of companies],” she shared with FMT.

According to Yong, life was easy going for the most part. But when the pandemic struck, the 52-year-old single mother lost her source of income almost overnight. Her daughter was only nine years old then.

A tale of two extremes

The prolonged pandemic began to whittle away at her savings. She recalled one particularly bitter incident in July 2020 when the owner of a coffeeshop she once had brought many of her clients to, refused to serve her even a glass of water despite knowing she was out of work.

However, that same day, she met someone who restored her faith in humanity. This individual operated a humble beef noodles stall in the same area.

“Each bowl cost RM10. I told the owner that I only had RM5 with me,” she said. To her surprise, the owner served her two bowls of noodles – one for herself and another for her daughter, and refused to accept any payment for it. “He only said, ‘I hope that you have enjoyed your meal’.

She said that the encounter got her thinking about the many homeless in the area. Would they be turned away from enjoying a meal at a restaurant, even if they had money to pay for it, based on how they dressed and looked?

“There are so many people on the streets with nowhere to go. I still have a place to sleep at night, but what about them? It opened my eyes to see that there is so much suffering but do people actually think about it?”

Being the change

“I always believe that even in the worst of situations, things can turn out for our good. So, although I couldn’t see what good could come out of the pandemic then, I said to myself, ‘let me be the change’”, Yong told FMT.

It was a promise she was able to fulfil in November that same year when she spotted an owner of a coffeeshop distributing food to several homeless people outside his shop.

“So, I asked him if it would be okay to use his shop as a place where the homeless, handicapped, elderly, and jobless can sit down, enjoy a good meal, and rest.”

Sensing he was a little hesitant, Yong assured him that she would take care of all the other details. He relented eventually, and thrilled, Yong got down to work.

“I sent out messages to inform people of this initiative and it went viral,” she shared, adding that many people offered to help.

One week later, after having raised the required funds, Yong said close to 40 needy people were treated to a meal of toast, soft-boiled eggs, cakes, curry puffs, crackers, and hot beverages at the coffee shop.

It also marked the beginning of Petaling Street Community Care, an initiative to feed and care for these individuals.

Yong said she continued providing meals for these people at the coffeeshop until February last year. “After that, I went to the streets and my car became like a “mobile food truck.”

Today, she distributes food to the needy not only in Petaling Street but in Pudu, Chow Kit, and Brickfields. She does this at least three times a week.

“If I have more funds, I will do it five or six times a week,” she said, adding that she distributes cooked food such as rice, noodles, porridge, and red bean soup which she orders from small businesses.

Additionally, she also distributes crackers, clothing, sandals, and blankets. “When I go around at night and I see them covering themselves with the blanket, it’s very heartwarming.”

According to Yong, this simple initiative has proved to her that there are many kind-hearted people who genuinely want to help others.

“There are people who do not want to see these individuals living without hope. I am overwhelmed to see Malaysians who are willing to lend a helping hand.”

She too is a beneficiary of the goodwill of those who help her and her daughter financially. She also receives government aid allocated for those in the B40 category.

“Hope is important because without it, people would give up. So, let us be someone who would lift another person from a pit,” she said.

Learn more about Petaling Street Community Care on their Facebook profile.