SHC & CMI handing over the donations to QEH Oct 24, Fr Sunny Chung third from right
By Catherine Engsun
Oct 28 2020
KOTA KINABALU – A donation drive dubbed the “FoodforFrontliners” (FFF) was launched soon after the parish youth’s online initiative to pray for Sabah and frontliners, which was held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral (SHC) Oct 18.
The FFF charity, urged on by the parish priest Fr Paul Lo, was coordinated by the Parish Human Development Committee (PHDC).
For Fr Paul, it was a heart response to seize the many opportunities in the pandemic to practise the Corporal Works of Mercy. In initiating the food charity, he challenged the faithful “As Christians, it is our duty to respond and be ever ready to reach out to the needy in any way we can.”
With the third wave of the pandemic in the nation, Sabah has been pushed to the brink in the COVID-19 fight. Across the State, the medical frontliners – doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers – have been working round the clock to save others while risking their lives.
The understaffed hospitals have been putting a tremendous strain on the already much fatigued healthcare personnel labouring 24/7. They worked long hours without eating or drinking.
Following the online ‘Pray for Sabah and Frontliners’, the parish began to mount a donation drive to source foodstuffs for the QEH medical frontliners, who welcomed support from the public to lighten their burden. The parish initiative received a heart warming response from the parishioners.
The first batch, contributions from SHC and CMI consisted of 59 cartons of dried foodstuffs, was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu Oct 24. Subsequent distributions will be made in November 2020.
The handing over of the foodstuffs to the hospital personnel was made by assistant parish priest Fr Sunny Chung, in the presence of members of the Parish Pastoral Council of Sacred Heart Cathedral and of the Parish Pastoral Committee of Church of Mary Immaculate (CMI) and PHDC members.
If parishioners are considering to lend a hand and to come alongside the frontliners in this time of need, you are invited to participate in this parish donation drive, which will be ongoing until Saturday, 31 October 2020 at 12.00pm.
For all those who have responded, in kind or cash, your contribution has helped ensure important local services and support to continue.
(Last updated 29 Oct 2020)
