UNAIR NEWS – The prolonged Covid-19 pandemic situation has given a major impact on community’s economy. In response to this condition, one of the lecturers of Indonesian Language and Literature (Sasindo) Faculty of Humanities (FIB) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) started an initiative to take care of neighbors and ensure their survival amid the economic crisis. Drs. Tubiyono, M.Si., regularly distributes staple food to the neighborhood members on Nginden 6C every Friday.
“In addition to expressing concern for others, religiously, this activity is also inspired by Q.S. Al-Maun which gives the message that the one who denies the ‘final’ judgement does not encourage the feeding of the poor. So, if we don’t care about people who are not economically well off, we deny the ‘final’ judgement,” he explained.
The lecturer often addressed as Tubi said that the activity has been going on since mid-February 2021. In the beginning, the distribution of staple food was only done by him and his family. As time goes by, neighbors who are well off also participate in providing donations. Every month, the 63-year-old lecturer said that it takes around 2.7 million to distribute staple food packages to the community.
“Every Friday, we provide 45 packages, each of which contains vegetables, tofu, tempeh, spices, and instant noodles. We deliberately chose the staple food package instead of rice because all family members could enjoy it,” he explained.
Regarding the distribution process, the lecturer of the Journalism Indonesian course explained that there are three stages carried out. The first stage is the procurement of goods carried out in collaboration with greengrocers every 5:00 a.m. After the goods are sent to the house, the next step is to organize the packages. The last stage is the distribution of packages with financial difficulties at 05.15-05.45 a.m. Western Indonesia Time.
“Initially, the distribution process was only done by waiting in line. However, since Ramadan, more and more people have come, and they rushed at it. Therefore, we implemented a queue card system. For residents who don’t get the card, it means they don’t get the ‘Blessed Friday,’” he said.
In the future, Tubi wanted to develop his movement by proposing cooperation to several institutions. He also wants to collaborate with students of KKN (Student Community Service) to be able to provide socialization and training for community empowerment, especially in the economic sectors.
“Hopefully, the spirit of togetherness, giving, and high empathy for the poor will always be maintained by all,” he concluded. (*)
Author: Nikmatus Sholikhah
Editor : Binti Q. Masruroh (YA/AP)
