{
  "id": 7674667,
  "title": "Maryland Dough dishes up hope and belonging in Kota Kinabalu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/maryland-dough-dishes-up-hope-and-belonging-in-kota-kinabalu",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T01:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/09/16/maryland-dough-dishes-up-hope-and-belonging-in-kota-kinabalu"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Maryland Dough, a bakery located in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, has been providing a unique opportunity for individuals with special needs, senior citizens, and retirees to find employment, contribute to society, and feel a sense of belonging. Founded by Tricia Richard Linsang and Sharon Shilla Sylvester, the bakery aims to address the concerns of parents of children with special needs and retirees who fear losing their sense of purpose upon retirement. Linsang, who has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education, started Maryland Dough after noticing the struggles of these two groups and the lack of support available for them. The bakery, operated under the NGO Persatuan Autism Pelita Harapan Sabah, offers participants a chance to learn baking skills and develop everyday abilities such as handling money, interacting with customers, and teamwork. The bakery, named after Linsang's late mother, Maryland, who founded the Maryland Learning Centre, now serves as a real-world environment for participants to practice and showcase their skills.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Maryland Dough dishes up hope and belonging in Kota Kinabalu",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/maryland-dough-dishes-up-hope-and-belonging-in-kota-kinabalu-7675379",
        "published": "2026-09-16T01:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}