2023-10-05 03:09:21
[Yahoo News Report]During major holidays, many families have a lot of leftover holiday food, but there are many grassroots people in society who do not have enough to eat. The charity organization “Le Rating Society” collects a variety of food from companies that has not expired but is facing discarding, including holiday food, high-quality vegetarian leftovers from high-end grocery stores and airlines, and will also make food lucky bags containing mooncakes, Spaghetti, cooking oil, and canned luncheon meat are donated to other charitable organizations for distribution to recipients, which not only protects the environment but also provides warmth to the grassroots and the elderly.
Reporter Carmen C.
Photojournalist Davies
In the Mid-Autumn Festival that just passed,Lok Rating SocietyMore than 65,000 mooncakes were distributed to recipients through 98 charitable organizations. The mooncakes came from companies, hotels and the public. In an interview with “Yahoo News”, Li Guanfen, Director of Community Relations of the Lucky Club, said that the Lucky Club is a “B2B” (business-to-business model) food bank that has been operating for more than ten years. It cooperates with food manufacturers and companies selling food to collect Expired food (food that is about to reach its expiration date but is still within its expiration date) is donated to charitable organizations and distributed to recipients. “A lot of food that will no longer be sold or no one buys it is actually eaten and thrown away. ”, there are also some foods that are discarded because the merchants changed the packaging. The Rating Society serves as a bridge between commercial organizations and charitable organizations, giving back a lot of critical food to the community and keeping it out of landfills.
Currently, 60% of the recipient organizations are elderly centers and 40% are for grassroots families, ethnic minorities and homeless people. During important times and major festivals, there are also many seasonal foods and “lucky bags” food packages distributed.
Li Guanfen said that the Rating Society cooperates with food manufacturers and food selling companies to collect food items that are in short supply and transfer them to charitable organizations for distribution to recipients.
The Rating Club collects a wide variety of food products, including canned food, pasta, pasta sauce, chocolate, frozen food, etc. Since the institution does not have a kitchen, it does not accept ordinary cooked food. Li Guanfen said that the food collected includes relatively high-end foods such as sparkling water, chocolate, seasonings and sauces from high-end grocery stores.
Recycling airplane snack cup noodles
Currently, the Rating Club has dedicated personnel responsible for liaising with food manufacturers. “They know that if there is something that is not sold but they don’t want to waste it, they will donate it to us.” Among the larger partners are those who represent brands such as “Nestle” DKSH (DKSH) and Cathay Pacific Catering Services (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., “There are bottled drinks, snacks or cup noodles on the plane. Many of our foods come from here.” The Lok Rating Society receives about 1,000 pieces of bread and cakes every week, from more than 100 bakeries such as Happy Bakery and Maxim’s Bakery. Many organizations or companies have taken the initiative to donate food. Li Guanfen also hopes that if food companies or manufacturers find surplus products, they can choose to donate them for charity instead of throwing them away.The Rating Club provides food transportation and storage services, room temperature and refrigerated trucks. It has been relying on donations to maintain its services. Volunteers participate in work such as moving goods. The organization has previously ReThink HK 2023 Share the business philosophy of sustainable development.
The Lucky Club cooperates with the China Christian Evangelistic Association Hong Fook Hall Bradbury Community Health Development Center to distribute Mid-Autumn blessing bags, which contain cooking oil, rice noodles, pasta, spaghetti sauce, chocolate, etc., as well as mooncakes donated by companies.
According to the Hong Kong Solid Waste Monitoring Report published by the Environmental Protection Department in 2021, 3,437 tonnes of food waste are discarded in landfills every day. Li Guanfen said: “These things are not thrown into landfills and disappear before our eyes. It takes time for oxidation and fermentation, which will affect climate change.” She continued that one in every 4.5 people in Hong Kong lives below the poverty line, with a monthly income of only about NT$4,400. Among them, the poverty situation is more serious among the elderly. Many elderly people “would rather eat less meals and see a doctor.” These recipients People impressed her the most, “Hong Kong people throw away so much food every day, but not everyone can really afford three meals a day.”
Food bank starts with ten cans
Last month, reporters visited the China Christian Evangelistic Association Hong Fook Hall Bradbury Community Health Development Center, a partner organization of the Lok House. The center was distributing mooncakes and holiday blessing bags to dozens of people in need and the elderly. Candy, the administrative assistant of the center, said that she has been cooperating with the ROC for 12 years. Initially, RAF staff brought ten cans to the center. At that time, the pastor thought that “ten cans are a beginning.” The center then purchased other foods and started a food bank. . Currently, the center’s recipients are referred by social workers. Some recipients have incurred huge debts due to being deceived and “want to save money to pay off their debts.” There are also recipients whose family members are sick and “need to take expensive injections for medical treatment.” I have no choice but to “save as much as I can” when it comes to food. Candy said: “We support some of them so that they have some financial ability to do other things.”
The recipients were all smiles after receiving the mooncakes.
Recipients include the elderly and grassroots people.
Candy said that many recipients rely on food bank services to save money for medical treatment or debt repayment.
“During the festival, having moon cakes is actually their joy.” Candy said that seeing the recipients change from sad faces to smiling faces was the reason why the center cooperated with the ROC. A total of 80 lucky bags and 160 moon cakes were distributed during this event, as well as lunch meat, pasta, rice noodles and drinks.
The China Christian Evangelistic Association Hong Fook Hall Bradbury Community Health Development Center has a “granary” where food and daily necessities donated by donors are placed.
Ms. Lin, who received the lucky bags and mooncakes, said that the center helps the poor. She had previously received daily necessities, food, noodles, etc., “I’m so happy! We poor people can’t afford this. How about buying a box of mooncakes for more than 200 yuan?”
The mooncake recycling event of the Lok Rating Club has ended. Those who are interested in donating mooncakes can still donate to the Changchun Club recycling point:
Date: From now until October 13th
Time: Monday to Saturday; 2pm to 6pm
Venue: “Food Charity Care Center” Center
Address: Shop 11, Block 2, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
1696502486
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