Gwangju Shinsegae Supports Vulnerable Children with 'Play Kits'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Gwangju Shinsegae Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Dong-hoon) announced on the 13th that it has supported 'play kits' for vulnerable children in the region who are struggling due to COVID-19.

The donation ceremony was attended by Seo Dae-seok, Mayor of Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of Gwangju Shinsegae, and Ko Hu-nam, Head of the Hope Friends Korea Food for the Hungry International Chungcheong, Honam, and Yeongnam divisions.

The 'play kit' support project conducted by Hope Friends Korea Food for the Hungry International is a program for children from vulnerable families who have no choice but to stay at home due to the closure of care facilities such as schools and local children's centers caused by COVID-19.

The play kits help provide emotional stability and enable effective leisure time at home in a safe environment.

The donated funds will be used through Hope Friends Korea Food for the Hungry International to provide 'play kits' to children from 150 vulnerable families in the region who are in urgent need.

The play kits consist of nine play packages recommended by experts according to the child's age, including the Shape Sense UP 3D Tangram Puzzle and 3D Ball Math Play Block Set.

In celebration of Family Month in May, Gwangju Shinsegae held a charity bazaar at the first-floor event hall to support the play kits and donated part of the proceeds, amounting to 10 million won.

Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of Gwangju Shinsegae, said, "Everyone is facing difficulties due to COVID-19. We hope that Gwangju Shinsegae's small gesture will help the children."

Meanwhile, Gwangju Shinsegae is actively participating in fulfilling its role as a local company by making early payments for goods to small and medium-sized partner companies struggling due to COVID-19, operating a direct transaction market to support farmers and fishermen, and delivering emergency relief supplies to local youth.

Hope Friends Korea Food for the Hungry International, which is conducting this project, is an international relief and development NGO established in 1989 as the first organization in Korea to help overseas. It supports children in domestic blind spots and underdeveloped welfare facilities, and dispatches volunteer teams to 260 households in 51 countries overseas, carrying out various relief and development projects.