Petronas distributes food baskets to 250 families in Lundu under Uplifting Lives programme

KUCHING (Feb 14): Yayasan Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) distributed food baskets to 250 underprivileged families in Lundu through its Uplifting Lives programme recently.

The baskets contained essentials such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, dried mushrooms, canned food, condiments and locally produced tea, said Petronas in a statement on Friday.

The assistance aimed to help reduce household expenses, especially with Chinese New Year (CNY) approaching.

Chung Soon Yap was among the beneficiaries and expressed appreciation for the support, which she described as small but meaningful.

For more than four decades, she has lived with uncertainty.

At 32, Chung lost her husband in a car accident and became a single mother of two, with no stable income and uncertainty about the future.

“I did whatever I could. I sold food, worked as a nanny and cleaner, and later became a bus ticket seller. Sometimes friends would recommend odd jobs. I even resold prawns and fish from Lundu to customers in Bau and other places,” she told Petronas.

Chung said she stayed briefly with her parents-in-law in Bau after her husband passed away, but eventually returned to Lundu, the coastal town in Sarawak she calls home.

There, she rebuilt her life piece by piece, determined that her children would one day stand on their own feet.

“That resolve was tested again years later when her son, Bryan Lee, now 49, was partially paralysed due to a car accident while returning from Brunei for CNY.

“Since then, Chung has been his primary support, managing daily life with limited means and quiet perseverance,” said Petronas.

Now 75, Chung lives in a modest house in Lundu. Her daughter works locally and sends pocket money whenever she can, while Chung also receives a small monthly government allowance.

According to Petronas, her yard stands another source of support – a Brazilian crystal longan tree planted years ago.

The tree towers about 20 feet high with its branches spilling over the roof, offering shade from the tropical sun; when in season, it bears delicate, golf-ball-sized longans, it said.

“Their skin is thin. If I don’t handle them carefully, the whole batch can go bad and attract worms. When they last, I can sell each kilogramme for RM42,” she enthused.

For decades, the tree has borne fruit at least three times a year. Though the harvest is modest, together with her daughter’s support and her allowance, it is enough for them to get by.

“Life is never easy. But I am thankful for what I have,” Chung said softly.

She went on to say the Petronas assistance meant a lot to people like her, adding: “It gives us some breathing space.”

Spearheaded by Yayasan Petronas, the programme was jointly undertaken by the Lundu District Office and the Tanjong Datu service centre.

It is part of Petronas’ broader commitment to support communities across Malaysia, ensuring that even those facing hardship receive timely assistance.