With the Lunar New Year just days away, many charity organizations and local district offices are busy preparing winter relief and Lunar New Year dinners for disadvantaged families and solitary seniors. The Huashan Social Welfare Foundation and the Genesis Social Welfare Foundation arranged a calligraphy event in Greater Taichung on Jan. 14 for 100 solitary seniors to wield calligraphy brushes to express their gratitude for the long-term care they have received from these concerned individuals. The works will be randomly given out to the volunteers.
The foundations wanted to show their appreciation to volunteers for the long-term care administered to seniors living alone. A hundred solitary seniors were invited to attend the calligraphy event and take up the brush to write spring couplets (chunlian) for the volunteers. One 77-year-old senior surnamed Chang who lives alone said that he lacks the means to return the favor and therefore wanted to write spring couplets to wish them prosperity and thank everyone for their contributions and concern.
On the same day, the Quan Cheng Social Welfare Foundation held a Lunar New Year dinner for 250 disadvantaged seniors and families with members who have physical disabilities. All donations for the event were acquired from a public fundraiser on the Internet, and what the foundation found most touching was how students from as far away as class 203 from Greater Tainan’s Yuwen Elementary used NT$10,000 leftover from its class activity fund to buy knit caps, gloves and scarves for the foundation. Nieh Yu-mei, chairperson of the foundation, joined the volunteers in helping the elders wear the donated items.
Photo: Su Chin-feng, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者蘇金鳳
Leh Cherng Temple in Greater Taichung’s Eastern District also held its “winter warmth” event on Jan. 14, giving away commodities and NT$2,000 in cash to poor families, with 300 families receiving donations in all. The temple says that every year it holds the event and that this year it mostly consisted of disadvantaged families living in the Eastern District. Each family was given NT$2,000 in cash and commodities like white rice and salad dressing in hopes of helping destitute families make it through the bitter winter months.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
再過幾天就是過年,各愛心社團、區公所則忙著為弱勢家庭及獨居老人進行冬令救濟及圍爐,而華山、創世為表達愛心民眾對獨老長期關心的感謝,一月十四日在台中還安排百位獨居老人揮毫,要隨機送給愛心民眾。
Photo: Su Chin-feng, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者蘇金鳳
華山、創世基金會為了表達對長期關懷獨居老人的愛心民眾感謝,當天邀請百位獨居老人揮毫寫春聯,要隨機送給愛心民眾,七十七歲獨居老人張阿公說,他沒什麼能力可以回饋,所以想親手寫下祝福春聯,感恩大家的奉獻與關懷。
另外,全成社福基金會當天招待二百五十位弱勢老人、身障家庭圍爐,讓全成相當感動的是,此次募物資是上網公開招募,遠在台南裕文國小二○三班學童把活動剩下的一萬元,買了溫暖的毛帽、手套及圍巾送給全成,董事長聶玉美偕同志工,親自為老人家穿戴上。
台中東區樂成宮也在一月十四日舉辦「寒冬送暖」活動,發放民生物資和現金二千元給貧困家庭,總共有三百多戶受惠。廟方表示,每年都會舉辦此一活動,而今年還是以住在東區的貧困戶為主,每戶獲得二千元現金及白米、沙拉油等物資,希望能協助貧困家庭度過寒冬。
(自由時報記者蘇金鳳、林良哲、張軒哲)
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