On May 15, when the government issued a level 3 COVID-19 alert for Taipei, Zhongqin Borough (忠勤) Warden Fang Ho-sheng (方荷生) issued a call for help on Facebook.
Fang, who has served as warden for more than two decades and is also the founder of a local food bank, knew that there would be families whose income would plummet as case numbers climbed, leading to food insecurity.
His goal was to raise enough money to buy 1,000 care packages, each containing NT$1,500 (US$54) worth of masks, instant noodles, canned food, laundry detergent and tissue paper.
Photo provided by Fang Ho-sheng via CNA
Within four days, he collected NT$5 million in donations, enough to pay for more than 3,000 care packages.
However, Fang did not cease his fundraising efforts and has since raised enough money to buy 9,000 packages, he said on Saturday.
The supplies in the package are purchased from Carrefour Taiwan, which Fang described as an “old comrade” of his and the Southern Airport Food Bank he founded in 2013.
The food bank has been distributing the packages to people in need in the borough and Zhongzheng District (中正), as well as in neighboring Wanhua District (萬華), which has been hit hard by a local COVID-19 outbreak, Fang said.
Thanks to the overflow of donations, he has been able to purchase supplies for other food banks across Taiwan, he said, adding that the donations are sent directly to Carrefour outlets near the food banks to make them easier to access.
He is also helping people apply for government subsidies so that families can receive support from the social welfare system.
“I do not really mind whether the people who receive help live in my borough or not. What is important is that those who need help can get it,” Fang said.
His next focus would be international students, who are in a “precarious” situation, because many of them survive on part-time jobs as they pursue their studies, he said.
Due to COVID-19, many students have lost their jobs and are not eligible for government relief, so Fang said he is reaching out to organizations and businesses to see if they can hand out subsidies directly to the students, in addition to giving them care packages.
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