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Borneo Post
25-05-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Lions Charity Bazaar to raise funds for charitable initiatives
Connie (third right), Alyssa (second left), Chris (third left) and Cynthia (right) with the Lions Charity Bazaar 3.0 team. KOTA KINABALU (May 25): Lions Club International will be holding its Lions Charity Bazaar 3.0 at Kian Kok Middle School here on October 12, from 7am to 5pm, to raise funds for various charitable initiatives. This major fundraising event brings together 16 Lions Clubs from across Sabah in a united effort to support Lions Clubs International's 8 Global Causes. Organising chairperson Connie Ting said it will offer a full day of family-friendly fun with food and drink stalls, live entertainment and engaging activities for all ages, designed to be a meaningful family outing day blending enjoyment with charity. Connie said they hope to record around 3,000 visitors at the event, which will feature more activities for children and around 20 percent more booths and products as well as a musical festival, compared to last year's Bazaar 2.0. She added that some of the proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards their sponsporing of computers for the Kian Kok Middle School students. 'The goal is to raise RM200,000, with all net gross proceeds channeled toward Lions' global service areas: Vision, hunger, environment, diabetes, childhood cancer, humanitarian relief, youth empowerment and a rural medical camp. 'We warmly invite non-governmental organisations and youth organisations to take part by setting up booths to showcase their causes. 'Companies are encouraged to support the event through sponsorships, with various sponsorship tiers offering promotional opportunities. 'Vendors are welcome to join the bazaar and benefit from a large public turnout,' she told a press conference near Hilltop here today. The public can support the cause by purchasing charity coupons priced at RM50 and RM100, which can be used to enjoy food, games and activities throughout the day. The participating Lions Clubs are Api Api, Keningau Downtown, Kota Kinabalu Asia City, Kota Kinabalu Capital, Kota Kinabalu Central, Kota Kinabalu Centennial, Kota Kinabalu City, Kota Kinabalu Downtown, Kota Kinabalu Lintas, Kota Kinabalu Mandarin, Kota Kinabalu Vintage, New Century Kota Kinabalu Star City, Labuan Mandarin, Luyang (Ace), Penampang Host, Ranau, Sabah EverGreen and Tanjung Aru. For booth registration, sponsorships or coupons, please contact Connie at 017-8210989. Meanwhile, Connie also informed that last year's Bazaar 2.0, organised by Lions Clubs International District 308-A2, had successfully raised RM169,365 in net funds. With 65 participating vendors and overwhelming support from the public, the event empowered over 10,000 individuals throughout Sabah, delivering meaningful impact through more than 37 service projects by May 2025. A total of RM101,384 was channeled into global cause-based programs, while RM67,980 was distributed to local Lions clubs to fund targeted community projects. Among the standout healthcare efforts include the donation of three Desferal machines worth RM7,500 to Sabah Women and Children's Hospital to assist in treating thalassemia patients, and the funding of len implants for 115 cataract patients across multiple districts. Other charitable causes made possible from last year's bazaar proceeds include a medical outreach camp for 110 stateless children in Kampung Likas, and the establishment of a rural resource centre in Nabawan to provide access to educational materials and support for 70 schoolchildren. Also present at the press conference were Lions Club of Api-Api charter president cum Bazaar 3.0 deputy organising chairperson Chris Liew; second vice district governor elect cum Bazaar 2.0 project coordinator Alyssa Lim; and Lions Club of Tanjung Aru president elect cum Bazaar 3.0 secretary Cynthia Chung.
South China Morning Post
28-01-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
The Lunar New Year poon choi feast isn't just about food
Published: 4:00pm, 28 Jan 2025 Few traditions evolve more rapidly than food customs. Hong Kong is no exception. The popularity of variants on the once-humble poon choi ('basin dish') meal demonstrates how tradition and modernity can find their meeting point, especially when marketed as an enhanced seasonal convenience. Communal meals are a key element to Hong Kong society. Extended families, who may be unable to meet regularly, typically gather during festival times, Lunar New Year being an essential opportunity that few willingly forgo. At other times of the year, a regular gathering in a particular place becomes a default occasion for extended family members to drop by and catch up. Most Hong Kong families simply could not all fit into an average residential unit – much less cook and then serve a sizeable family meal, which makes restaurant gatherings the only practical option. But whether these get-togethers are held at someone's home or in a restaurant with a permanently booked preferred table kept occupied on the designated day, regularly shared meals – and the conversation that accompanies them – help keep family links going strong across the generations. An old-style village poon choi is a humble but tasty collation of pork, chicken and duck dishes prepared in various styles. Photo: Felix Wong In rural settings in the New Territories in earlier times, space was not a concern. All major life events, such as weddings and funerals, were celebrated with a communal meal, to which all participants contributed in one way or another. Serving dishes were a concern, as few farming families possessed more plates and dishes than their individual circumstances required. Larger receptacles were needed for more sizeable gatherings, and well-scrubbed laundry buckets and washing bowls were pressed into service on these occasions. Until the 1930s in New Territories villages, wooden washing buckets were all that was available. But that changed with the introduction of mass-produced enamelware after World War II. Along with such cups, plates, bowls and platters, large washing tubs and smaller basins intended for kitchen use, were important domestic items invariably found in a bride's dowry. Enamelware manufacturers shrewdly recognised the secondary use large washbasins periodically found in rural areas and typically emblazoned such items with the Chinese character for 'Double Happiness' – always used at wedding celebrations. Freely borrowing and lending such items to one another, as individual circumstances required, was regarded as a key marker of friendliness and cooperation. Long-term self-interest also played a role; in remote rural settings, everyone in the village knew precisely who had what available, and a churlish refusal to lend something when needed was an unnecessary invitation for lingering ill will. In 2012, Lions Club International broke the Hong Kong record of hosting the largest poon choi meal, with 600 tables for more than 7,000 people in Yuen Long, Hong Kong. Photo: Felix Wong An old-style village poon choi is a humble-but-tasty collation of pork, chicken and duck dishes prepared in various styles. All ingredients would have been sourced locally and incorporated what was readily available; seaside villages might also include prawns, fish and other seafood. Dried meats and sausages, fresh and preserved vegetables, bean curd and eggs were usual inclusions. Rice and soup were served separately. Food was prepared separately by different kitchens; when the time came to eat, the washbasins were piled high with various dishes, and everyone helped themselves.
