Food Aid Foundation has spent over a decade ensuring fewer Malaysians go to bed hungry. Their mission is simple but powerful: to rescue and redistribute surplus food.
The NGO recovers perfectly good food that is near expiration or unsellable but still safe to eat, and gets it to those in need – ensuring it feeds people, not landfills.
Founder Rick Chee told FMT Lifestyle that growing up, he never witnessed food waste. “I came from a very poor family. Imagine having 11 brothers and three sisters – and your father is a lorry driver. We siblings had to fight over what was on the table.”
Although his childhood was tough, Chee was fortunate to break the cycle of poverty and build a successful career in the food and beverage industry.
“In 40 years in the industry, I saw massive waste across the board – from food service establishments to hotels, restaurants and manufacturers,” he said.
“Seeing so much food go to waste was the trigger – I knew I had to do something.”
Chee observed that there were food-surplus donors and recipients: all that was missing was a middleman. With trusted partners, he poured his savings into launching Food Aid Foundation in 2013, turning his idea into reality.
According to him, the NGO partners with major grocers like Lotus’s and Giant, leading manufacturers like Kawan, and restaurant chains like KyoChon to rescue tonnes of surplus food.
‘Plenty to go around’
FMT Lifestyle recently visited their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to see their work in action. Each day is different, and this morning, operations began early as their truck set off to Pastry World in Shah Alam to collect baskets of bread for distribution.
The truck then headed to various People’s Housing Programme (PPR) flats in KL, ensuring the food would be equally distributed among households.
At PPR Sri Sarawak, home to over 780 households, committee member Sharifah Rodiah shared that Food Aid Foundation has been providing donations since 2019.
“These breads are quite fresh. Even if left outside for two weeks, they don’t go stale. It’s just the size – some are bigger, some are smaller – so they don’t sell them to customers. Instead, they give them to us, and we’re very grateful. Not everyone can afford to buy bread like this.”
Among the goods were croissants and sourdough, neatly packed for families to enjoy. Sharifah added that residents from other low-income neighborhoods also drop by, and there’s plenty to go around.
Additionally, Food Aid Foundation rescues fresh vegetables from the Selayang market – produce deemed “not pretty enough” that would otherwise be discarded or resold cheaply. With a large kitchen at their headquarters, they are able to cook and deliver fresh meals to those in need.
Supporting more than 70 welfare homes, the NGO’s impact extends across the Klang Valley as well as to other states. Beyond daily aid, they also respond to emergencies, providing relief during crises like the recent floods in Kelantan.
Chee pointed out that with rising living costs, the urban poor are hit the hardest. “Most of us don’t get to experience what poverty is. It’s hidden behind nice highways and landscapes – the poor are pushed further away from us.
“But in our 10-plus years, we’ve seen that food insecurity is a reality.”
He revealed that in just one year, they have distributed close to RM20 million worth of food. But while their impact is undeniable, Chee stressed that real change starts with educating children in schools about food waste.
“People fail to understand how much resources have been put into cultivating or growing food, and we simply throw it away like it’s nobody’s business just because we’re able to,” he noted.
“I think Mother Nature has been kind to us for too many years. We have to act on it before it’s too late.”
Learn more via Food Aid Foundation’s website and Facebook profile.
Food Aid Foundation
9, Jalan 7/118b, Desa Tun Razak
56000 Kuala Lumpur