One Utama Shopping Centre & Kechara Soup Kitchen
The beautiful One Utama Shopping Centre
Kechara Soup Kitchen or KSK has opened a booth for this weekend in the sprawling One Utama Shopping Mall. One Utama Shopping Mall is very kind and very engaged in community action. Hence their space for KSK is very good for them, KSK and the homeless. It shows One Utama would like to give back to the community. Wonderful for all those in the Management of One Utama as you show a great example of community spirit.
It is commendable that major shopping centres in our region support Kechara Soup Kitchen as it is their way to give something back to the community. Making profits is necessary, but remembering the less fortunate is crucial to set the right example for our communities and children. Kechara Soup Kitchen is COMMITTED TO HELPING THE LESS FORTUNATE. PLEASE COMMIT TO HELPING US! We thank you ahead of time!!
KSK’s booth in Community Corner in One Utama. We are on 1st floor, Oval next to Chanel.
Justin Cheah, Julia, Carmen (Jean Mei’s friend) n Ruby are here in morning shift. Other volunteers will come later.
Our KSK booth at One Utama Shopping Mall
We thank One Utama Shopping Mall for caring for the homeless and community. It reflects their commitment to benefit society. Kudos to One Utama Shopping Mall!!!
Lew tirelessly creating awareness for KSK on behalf of the homeless in One Utama
Jean Mei, Justin, Jun Yew (Jean Mei’s friend who is a regular volunteer) and Lew (of e-Division) volunteering at KSK booth at One Utama.
Tsem Rinpoche
P.S. I personally like One Utama Shopping Centre very much. I have been patronizing them for nearly a decade now. I find so many varieties of items inside. The range of shops are very nice. I like shopping malls that have A HUGE VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ITEMS FOR SHOPPERS. Then you can just park, go in and shop till you drop and find whatever you need. Many of varieties of shops make the shopping mall less boring and redundant. VARIETY IS THE KEY FOR ME.
One Utama is laid out nicely and most of the time parking is quite ok. Many of my friends also patronize.
We ALSO have beautiful Kechara Paradise Outlet in One Utama. It has beautiful gifts, antiques, paintings, jewellery, healing aromatherapy incense, purifying singing bowls, books, and many other items from the Himalayas. Himalayan regions of Nepal, North India, Tibet produces one of the world’s most recognized and treasured artworks. Now we don’t have to fly there, we can go to One Utama Shopping centre to explore and enjoy the crafts from the exotic and remote Himalayas!
Please see: https://www.kechara.com/shop/
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Is good that having a Kechara booth in public, and especially in shopping mall. Can create more awareness. Rejoice for KSK team members.
Thanks for sharing Rinpoche. 🙂
Best Regards: Eric kksiow
The first thought that strikes me is that there is a contrast between the advertisement of KSK booth and the other booths which promotes products for people to buy. KSK is appealing for help for the homeless and hungry while the other booths are for sale of luxury goods. One Utama has been very kind all these years in providing a booth for us KSK to help them indirectly and jointly give back to Society by helping the homeless and hungry. One Utama being a busy shopping Mall is a very good place to create awareness among the shoppers that there are lots of unfortunate people out there who are homeless and hungry and to instil in them the thought of how fortunate they are.
I really like Rinpoche’s idea that has manifested today’s Kechara. Kechara Soup Kitchen really give us the opportunity to practice compassionate. Like Rinpoche said, “When we give food to the homeless, don’t think that we are doing them a favour, instead think of it as a way to practice compassionate”. How true!!
After sharing with some friends about KSK, they are also started to get involved and I sincerely thank Rinpoche for coming this concept and KSK for executing this concept so that more and more people can practice compassionate, and when more people with compassionate quality, this will be a much better place to live in!! 🙂
I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer some time at these KSK roadshows in 1Utama and i think the greatest lesson of being that is that you really see how kind the general public can be.
First of all, it is inspiring and really very warm to know that even such a big conglomerate like this enormous mall has the care to do community outreach programmes and are supportive of KSK’s charitable initiatives.
Secondly, when you’re standing there in the mall, for even just a few hours, handing out flyers to people or standing there with a donation box, you’ll be surprised at just how many will stop by for an extra look, to find out more or even to drop BIG RM50 BILLS into the donation box! These aren’t just fellow Buddhists but people from all walks of life – all religions, ages, cultures express interest in helping KSK because of the very nature of KSK’s work which is non-discrimanatory and helps people from all backgrounds. Everyone needs love and care, and it is good to see that many of our fellow malaysians also identify with this cause.
It is from these roadshows (and thanks to the tireless efforts of the KSK committee and volunteers) that many other volunteers have stepped forth to help, and many other sponsors have offered to donate towards KSKs funds or contribute food towards their weekly rounds. It’s really so so so so so nice to see that society still has a big heart and wants to contribute back.
Thank you KSK for opening up the hearts of many, and bringing that love to many many others on the streets.
Since our KSK dept started 4 years ago. It has grown tremendously. Thank to our dynamic staffs like Ruby, Justin, Julia and many more who have been working hard to find big sponsors and volunteers for this dept. Now we have kind and hard working volunteer like Lew who used his off day to help other kechara dept to promote KSK by giving out leaflet information about homeless people in the city selflessly, really showed a good example for others to follow. As the number of homeless people have grown over the years, we need more volunteer to come and help. Lew is so kind and caring for people who need help and I am proud of him.
I think that One Utama and Kechara Soup Kitchen are inseperable. I been to the roadshows there. They are allways smooth. Many people come and visit. I like the highlighted words: “Kechara Soup Kitchen is COMMITTED TO HELPING THE LESS FORTUNATE. PLEASE COMMIT TO HELPING US! We thank you ahead of time!!” as it is true. Kechara Soup Kitchen is in need of a lot of funding for the renovation of the new building, food and water for the homeless etc. One Utama is always thinking of ways to benefit society. Sometimes you can see SPCA adoption offers etc. Uncle Justin Cheah works very hard for KSK. I also love malls with wide varieties.
I still remember the first ever KSK roadshow that was held in 1Utama Shopping Centre – at that time, Kechara Soup Kitchen was fairly new and we were giving out less than 50 packets of food per week.
Thus it was such a god-send (or Buddha-send) to us, especially during those days, that 1Utama was giving us a space for us to promote our cause. We were unknown, we were small, but we were sincere and the management of 1Utama would have seen that, and in their genuine care for the Malaysian community, they gave us that much needed space.
I was there to help distribute brochures and appeal for donations during that first ever roadshow, and trust me, all the committee and volunteers were just so happy to have the chance to reach out to the non-stop crowd in this popular shopping centre.
This was a couple of years ago and since then, KSK has grown to feeding 850 homeless each week. But we have never forgotten the support from 1Utama in those early days. And until today, we have our roadshows at 1Utama every 6 months.
THANK YOU 1UTAMA MANAGEMENT FOR YOUR CARE AND CONSTANT SUPPORT.
PS: Stan Collymore, the English football superstar came to support our roadshow in 1Utama too!
http://www.kechara.com/soup-kitchen/news/stan-collymore-ex-liverpool-and-england-international-appeared-at-ksks-booth-at-1utama-on-saturday-5-april/
I wish to take this opportunity to say a few words about Ruby. She’s one of the first people i met when i came to kechara. Ruby never has bad hair day! Oh my God! Her hair is always in place, flowing and bouncy no matter what time of the day or NIGHT. This prim and proper lady, highly respectable in society doesn’t have an air about her. She is influetial and has brought in many sponsors and supporters and is the face of Kechara Soup Kitchen in the media! Yet, she gets her hands dirty, walk the streets (with her gorgeous hair tied up), work tirelessly, pack and unpack food items just like the rest of the volunteers. To her, there is no difference to the work, not one is more glamourous than the other..it’s about doing what it takes to get the result we want. Ruby, thank you for showing by example! I am proud of you and thank you for being a friend who has cared for me over the years.
This is the 5th time over a period of 3 years that the management of 1Utama has offered KSK the space to help us create public awareness of our cause. It has been a pleasant working relationship with them as they have made it easy for us.
KSK, as with any other NGOs, continuosly needs the support of all sectors ie media, press, corporations, individuals, etc to help them help others. I am proud to say that Malaysia is made out of a warm caring society who generously donate their time and/or energy in helping others if they are aware of who, where and how to help. Hence what 1Utama has done (and we hope will continue doing) has helped to facilitate this information to the general public.
Dear Lew of E-division Kechara,
What a kind, generous and compassionate person you are deep inside of you. From external appearances, you just look like a normal guy. But I can see how your heart is soft and caring.
I am so happy to see helping the homeless. It is so commendable and makes me so happy to see you take the time to help the less fortunate.
Whoever we are, we have ups and downs in our lives. The people who care enough to do something are the real heroes to me.
In the end, have alot of money or not, is NOT THE KEY to feeling self worth, it is that we have contributed to others without an agenda. I am glad to see you doing this.
I send you my warm thanks, prayers and thanks for caring. Please never lessen your work for others, fight selfishness and care for others always, then your life and everyone’s lives are worth something much more my dear Lew.
Tsem Tulku