Charitable bodies feeling pinch of price hikes

By SIM LEOI LEOI and TEH ENG HOCK

KUALA LUMPUR: Charitable bodies are beginning to feel the pinch as recent price hikes have taken a toll on donations.

Some which had been promised money for victims of the Sichuan earthquake and the cyclone in Myanmar reported that money was slow in coming.

Donations in kind like rice, milk and noodles have also decreased.

Shepherd’s Centre Foundation founder and director Pastor Jacop David said his centre had 100 children and 12 senior citizens.

“We need 50 to 60 10kg bags of rice every month. But fewer visitors are coming forward with personal contributions,'' he said in Putrajaya.

However, Pastor David said he was confident of making it through the “dry spell” as he believes there “will be a miracle”.

Beautiful Gate Foundation executive director Sia Siew Chin said the sale of merchandise had dipped by some 30% since the new price of fuel came into effect.

“We usually put up a stall to sell plants and other decorative items at the SS2 Market. Fewer people are buying them now,” she said, adding that the foundation had 11 vans to ferry the disabled to work, college or hospital.

“We can’t stop this service because it will make it hard for the disabled to go to work or school,” she said.

PAWS animal shelter manager Edward Lim said public response towards its monthly roadshows as well as adoption of strays had declined.

“Maybe people need more time to adjust to the price increases,” he said, adding that the shelter had not noticed any increase in the number of abandoned pets.

Malaysian Red Crescent Society Johor chapter deputy chairman Velasamy S. Pillay said it had yet to gauge public response to its donation drives.

“This is because we have not held one recently. However, it's been slow at donation drives for the recent disasters in Myanmar and China,” he said.

The Handicapped & Mentally Retarded Children Centre in Kuantan is facing a shortage of food items and toiletries, reports SIMON KHOO.

The centre’s caretaker A. Rose Mary said: ”Previously, we had many firms and individuals donating cash and kind every month. Of late, not many have turned up.

“We hope caring Malaysians who can afford to spare some cash will continue assisting us to maintain the centre,” she added.

Yayasan Nanyang Press executive director Ann Woo said donations were slowing down because donors were taking a breather after emptying their pockets to help Sichuan earthquake victims.

She said the higher fuel prices merely coincided with the slowdown in donations collected as it was usual for donors to go through a “buffer” period to regenerate their savings.

Woo was confident that donations would continue to pour in even in these challenging times.

Source : The Star