KUANTAN: Restaurant Misha Catering has proved that "free lunch" does exist as it offers a plate of warm food freely to people who are down on their luck.
Its operator Wan Sharmil Aizan Wan Sharifuddin, 41, said she had run a concept for generous people to donate RM5 in advance for a set of decent meal to be prepared by the restaurant for the needy.
“This will help those who cannot even afford to have a square meal a day. They will have rice with one main dish of a piece of chicken or fish, vegetables and a drink,” she said when met at her restaurant in Medan Tok Sira.
Although still new, a visit by the New Straits Times showed that quite a number of people had come to redeem the free meals under the concept known worldwide as "suspended meals".
Wan Sharmil Aizan, who runs the restaurant with her mother Engku Azmiah Wan Akhbar, 64, said the value of the suspended meals was the same as that bought by other paying customers.
She said the project was targeted at needy students, those who were jobless, low-income earners and the homeless.
She said the dishes for the suspended meals and those for paying customers were all the same.
“We do not prepare a specific number of suspended meals per day as it is based on donations from the public and friends.
“The number of suspended meals will be on display at the restaurant entrance daily,” she said, adding that she properly recorded the amount of donations to ensure transparency.
Since the start of the project last month, Wan Sharmil Aizan said donors had contributed about RM250 every week, which was equivalent to 50 meals.
"My mum and I will start cooking after the Subuh prayer and we will prepare larger portions for the suspended meals.
“We do not differentiate anyone who come as we know people need to eat when they are hungry regardless of whether they are paying customers or that they need a free meal.
“Sometimes, if they come a bit late and all the free meals are used up, we will still serve them but with food such as fried rice or mee goreng together with a drink," she said.
“We are facing difficulties to reach the target group to claim the suspended meals as we are still new and I am not very tech-savvy to promote the project via the social media.
“At present, we rely solely on our own promotions as well as by word-of-mouth of those who have benefited from the suspended meals.”
Wan Sharmil Aizan said managing the project had taught her to be thankful for everything that she had.
“Although, I cannot give out money to the poor, at least I can help them eat a decent meal.
“If you think you are having bad day, it is nothing compared to the daily struggles of those who cannot afford to buy a meal. We should be thankful and do our best to help them.”
On the future of her project, Wan Sharmil Aizan said she hoped to get a place in the town centre here so that she could help more poor people.
Apart running the project, Wan Sharmil Aizan is also a group member who offers free breakfast every alternate Sunday to visitors at the recreational park in Taman Gelora here.
For those wishing to donate to Misha Catering’s suspended meals, they can contact Wan Sharmil Aizan at 011- 1218 8244.
Or, head to her restaurant at A-3002 Lorong Tok Sira 1, which is adjacent to Medan Tok Sira mosque and accessible by Rapid bus service on the Teluk Cempedak route.
The restaurant is open from 8am to 10pm daily.
The suspended meal concept was first started in Italy as suspended coffee where people bought extra coffee to be claimed by those who cannot afford one.
