PETALING JAYA: Malaysian healthcare workers have been nothing short of heroes, working tirelessly day and night to treat those with Covid-19.
Surviving on very little rest between shifts and exposing themselves daily to the risk of contracting the virus, one local startup came up with an ingenious idea to show their appreciation for them.
Coffee Star Malaysia has been providing frontliners with free cups of coffee through their self-service machines installed at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) and the Sungai Buloh Hospital.
Nicknamed “Coffee ATMs”, these machines are fully automated, from ordering to dispensing, and work with no human-to-human contact whatsoever, unlike traditional barista machines.
Since April 14, the Coffee ATMs have been safely providing frontliners with over 10,000 cups of piping hot and freshly brewed coffee.
Coffee Star Malaysia’s CEO, Raja Ahmad Fauzan, who praised the country’s many frontliners for doing an admirable job, said the start-up stepped right up when they heard that these selfless men and women needed a pick-me-up to keep them going.
“We experienced the impact of the coronavirus directly throughout our business locations in airports, shopping malls and office towers,” he said.
“So, we redeployed our machines from those locations to serve up fresh, free coffee to frontliners,” he said, adding that the initiative was but a small gesture of appreciation for all the sacrifices this group has made.
Sharing Raja Ahmad’s sentiments, MAEPS CEO, Zaidi Shahrim said partnering with Coffee Star Malaysia, was a small act of kindness to show gratitude for Malaysia’s many frontliners.
He said, frontliners had been working around the clock, even during Ramadan and the Hari Raya holidays, to keep Malaysians safe.
Sungai Buloh Hospital Director, Dr Kuldip Kaur welcomed the fresh coffee donation as hundreds of the hospital’s staff were working long, gruelling hours.
“We are in uncharted territory,” she said. “We are so thankful for this kind of compassion and caring initiative; it has never been more welcome.”
“In these trying times, it can be comforting to know that we’re in this together, and hope that this campaign inspires others to give back in any way they can and remember that even the smallest acts of kindness can have a significant impact.”
