Heaptalk, Jakarta – Wonder Food working with Youth Action Hub Indonesia, organized a community-wide food drive event that provided 450 boxes of healthy food to low-income residents in Northern Jakarta. This program is part of an initiative to expand social outreach to the communities and bridge social interactions between local communities. This program also included participation from displaced teenagers from Afghanistan in giving back to their new adopted communities through a recent food drive.
The day-long event occurred on 25th of November in the Rawa Indah area as part of a Thanksgiving Day donation drive. Local international high school students Cayden Nusantoro Liu, Maxmilian Halim, Jensen Emmanuel Budiarto, Arthur Perdana, and Jacob Simangunsong were joined by several local refugee children in this event. The 10-member team collaborated in food preparation, logistics, and distribution. A total of 450 care packages consisting of bread, nutritious snacks, milk, and fruit were put together, with fresh produce collected from local organizations. The prepared food packages were distributed to low-income areas in Rawa Indah, North Jakarta. The volunteer team also visited a nearby primary school to distribute similar care packages to the primary school students.
The event demonstrated a significant way to give back to their communities and make a significant impact. It is evident that with support from these organizations, these volunteer teenagers can be empowered to feel a sense of purpose. By giving back to their community, these young people were better able to cope with the difficulties of being in an unfamiliar place. The event was a huge success, with many team members feeling inspired and uplifted by their experiences.
“The residents of Rawa Indah are very happy and appreciative in receiving the food and snacks and they are hoping there will be more events like this. In difficult times like this, the people here are grateful that there are some people who are willing to lend a helping hand” said local community leader, Mr. Kasieli.
This event has been a key initiative for Youth Action Hub Indonesia for Sustainable Development to eliminate hunger by redistributing food to feed people. According to an article by Bappenas, the national planning agency, roughly 35 million tons of food are thrown away annually. This large amount can easily solve the country’s severe malnourishment problem, especially for children. In many cases, the food tossed is wholesome and edible. By being leaders in our communities, collecting unspoiled, healthy food, and donating it to our needy communities, we’re feeding people, not creating landfills. We are supporting our local communities and, more importantly, saving all the resources that went into producing that food from going to waste.
