There was nothing to stop the street people from having a good time together over a Christmas do last Sunday, when some 50 volunteers gave of their time to make the event a success at the Grace Community feeding station at Jalan Masjid India.

Over 400 people turned up for the Christmas event where they enjoyed carol singing together and watched presentations, including a show by an illusionist who only wanted to be known as John.

“It was truly a muhibbah spirit at the event,” said the centre’s coordinator, Pastor Gurmit Singh. Volunteers from various churches had prepared plenty of food for everyone, and after the event was over guests were also given their portion of food packed in festive gift bags, which they could take away with them.

To Gurmit, this was the fulfilment of his special calling to feed the poor in our midst, as Jesus in the Bible had said: “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:12-14).”

Always open to the street people

Gurmit spoke about the meaning of Christmas and told the street people that, under the umbrella of Grace Community, there are other services available to help them, including a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Klang, a centre for abused women, a refuge for women who are thinking of aborting their pregnancies (in an attempt to save a young life) and an orphanage.

Gurmit said the centre is always open to the street people. “Whenever they want to have a shower, they can always use the facilities here,” he said.

He also told them that he and his team would try to link the street people to some retirement homes, where they could at least live comfortably for some good years.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Gurmit was approached by several people asking for help to overcome their alcohol problems. A few elders also inquired about going into an old folks' home, after spending several years in the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

Grace Community has been operating the feeding station for the past 15 years, and has provided for some 200 people, on average, every week.

No one should go hungry

For the past 12 months, the centre has spent close to RM400,000 to feed the street people. “Food is a basic necessity,” said Gurmit, adding that “No one should go hungry in a country where food is always in abundance. At least when their basic needs are met, they do not need to think of committing a crime.”

It is no wonder that we have hardly heard of street people becoming snatch thefts or pickpockets. They may be found begging on sidewalks, but the feeding stations organised by Grace Community and others - including Kechara Soup Kitchen ( photo ) and Fast 2 Feed Yayasan Kemanusiaan Muslim Aid Malaysia - have provided food to meet the basic needs of their fellow human beings.

From time to time, the food has come from various sponsors. As contributions from individual donors have dwindled in 2015, Gurmit hopes that there will be a few anchor sponsors from the corporate sector for the year ahead. He can be contacted via gcjassal@gmail.com

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.