Couple who once went hungry raises $700 to distribute essentials to needy Queenstown families

Having stared at an empty kitchen with no money to buy food, Sri Nur Ilyia Izzuwanna Othman knows what it feels like to go hungry.

That shared struggle inspired the 28-year-old mother and her husband, Muhd Zafri Puteh, also 28, to start 'Rezeki Bergerak' (Mobile Blessings), a grassroots initiative that distributes essential items to families in need.

"We experienced days when there was no food at home or enough money to buy groceries, to the point where we had to skip meals for days," Sri Nur Ilyia told Berita Harian (BH).

She runs a small business selling candy wall decorations and floral arrangements, while Muhd Zafri works as a Grab driver, mover and freelancer. The couple live in a rental flat with their two children, aged four years and one month.

Initially, she planned to set up a five-tier 'Rak Rezeki' (Blessings Shelf) outside her home and wanted to stock it with free snacks, diapers and household items.

However, she said the Town Council disapproved the setup, following a recent block fire.

That prompted the couple to take a different approach instead.

Ahead of their Sept 13 distribution drive, she posted a list of essential items on social media, inviting followers to sponsor goods or make donations, BH reported.

Pivoting to a mobile operation

The response exceeded the couple's expectations, with around $700 raised in just three days.

The couple used the funds to buy nearly 200 items from Sheng Siong supermarket.

The provisions included rice, cooking oil, instant noodles, eggs, pasta, body wash, laundry detergent, diapers and wet wipes. The couple also contributed their own money to supplement the purchases.

They loaded the supplies into a van, and distributed the items to residents of two-room rental flats at Blocks 155 and 156 Mei Ling Street in Queenstown.

Accompanied by their two children, the couple carried out the distribution from 5pm to 7pm.

Residents picked up items after spotting their van or tuning in to the couple's livestream. The initiative was also documented in a TikTok video that had garnered over 2,000 likes and over 26,000 views as at Friday.

One encounter left a particularly lasting impression on Sri Nur Ilyia.

A primary school pupil walked over after watching the livestream and, instead of choosing snacks or treats, asked for diapers for a younger sibling.

"It was deeply moving because even though he was so young, he was thinking about his sibling's needs," Sri Nur Ilyia shared with BH.

The couple now plans to distribute drinks at Masjid Sallim Mattar on Oct 18 to reach more children, including orphans from the nearby Darul Ihsan Orphanage.

Through Rezeki Bergerak, they also hope to show their children that meaningful acts of kindness do not require great wealth or grand gestures.

AsiaOne has reached out to the couple for more information.

@annasofhia.z Alhamdulillah for today’s project 🤍 From your contributions, to the hands that prepared everything, and finally reaching those who needed it, every little bit counts. 🫶🏻 Thank you to everyone who supported, contributed, shared and trusted us with your rezeki. This is only the beginning. InsyaAllah, more to come. 🤲🏻✨ Rezeki Bergerak by Zasero 🤍 ♬ Thank You Allah - Maher Zain

Alhamdulillah for today’s project 🤍 From your contributions, to the hands that prepared everything, and finally reaching those who needed it, every little bit counts. 🫶🏻 Thank you to everyone who supported, contributed, shared and trusted us with your rezeki. This is only the beginning. InsyaAllah, more to come. 🤲🏻✨ Rezeki Bergerak by Zasero 🤍

helmy.saat@asiaone.com

斯里·努尔·伊利亚·伊祖瓦纳·奥斯曼曾盯着空荡荡的厨房，身无分文买不起食物，她深知饥饿的滋味。

这种共同的奋斗经历激励了这位 28 岁的母亲和她同样 28 岁的丈夫 Muhd Zafri Puteh，他们创办了“Rezeki Bergerak”（移动祝福），这是一项向有需要的家庭分发必需品的基层倡议。

“我们曾经历过家里没有食物，或者没有足够的钱购买杂货的日子，以至于我们不得不连续几天不吃饭，”斯里·努尔·伊利亚告诉《每日新闻》（BH）。

她经营着一家小店，出售糖果墙饰和插花，而穆罕默德·扎夫里则是一名网约车司机、搬家工人和自由职业者。这对夫妇和他们四岁和一个月大的两个孩子住在租来的公寓里。

最初，她计划在自家门外设立一个五层的“Rak Rezeki”（祝福架），并想在上面摆放免费零食、尿布和家居用品。

然而，她说，在最近发生一起街区火灾后，镇议会否决了这一方案。

这促使这对夫妇采取了另一种方法。

据BH报道，在9月13日分发活动之前，她在社交媒体上发布了一份必需品清单，邀请粉丝赞助物资或捐款。

转向移动运营

此次募捐活动的反应超出了这对夫妇的预期，短短三天内就筹集了约 700 美元。

这对夫妇用这笔钱在昇菘超市购买了近200件商品。

物资包括大米、食用油、方便面、鸡蛋、意大利面、沐浴露、洗衣液、尿布和湿巾。这对夫妇还自掏腰包补充了一些物资。

他们将物资装进货车，然后分发给皇后镇美玲街 155 座和 156 座两房出租组屋的居民。

这对夫妇带着两个孩子，从下午5点到7点进行了分发工作。

居民们看到他们的货车或收看这对夫妇的直播后，纷纷前来领取物品。这项活动也被记录在一段TikTok视频中，截至周五，该视频已获得超过2000个赞和超过26000次观看。

一次偶遇给斯里·努尔·伊利亚留下了特别深刻的印象。

一名小学生看完直播后走了过来，没有选择零食或点心，而是为弟弟妹妹要了尿布。

“这非常令人感动，因为即使他年纪很小，他也会想到他的兄弟姐妹的需求，”斯里·努尔·伊利亚向BH分享道。

这对夫妇计划于 10 月 18 日在 Masjid Sallim Mattar 分发饮料，以帮助更多儿童，包括附近 Darul Ihsan 孤儿院的孤儿。

他们也希望通过 Rezeki Bergerak 向孩子们表明，有意义的善举并不需要巨额财富或盛大的举动。

AsiaOne已联系这对夫妇以获取更多信息。

@annasofhia.z 感谢真主，今天的项目圆满成功🤍 从你们的捐助，到所有准备工作的人员，再到最终送到需要的人手中，每一份付出都意义非凡。🫶🏻 感谢每一位支持、捐助、分享并信任我们，与我们分享你们福泽的朋友们。这仅仅是个开始。愿真主保佑，未来会有更多精彩。🤲🏻✨ 福泽由Zasero制作🤍 ♬ 感谢真主 - Maher Zain

感谢真主，今天的项目圆满成功🤍 从你们的捐助，到所有准备工作的人员，再到最终送到需要的人手中，每一份付出都弥足珍贵。🫶🏻 感谢每一位支持、捐助、分享并信任我们，与我们分享你们善举的朋友们。这仅仅是个开始。愿真主保佑，未来会有更多精彩。🤲🏻✨ Zasero 的善举🤍

helmy.saat@asiaone.com