Seoul Gangseo-gu Raises 2.9 Billion Won for 'Warm Winter Fund'... Exceeds Target by 93%

COVID-19 Crisis and Economic Recession Close Wallets, But Open Wide for Neighbors in Need

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Despite the difficult situation caused by COVID-19, the warm-hearted generosity of Gangseo-gu residents, who practice sharing for neighbors in greater need than themselves, remained unwaveringly warm.

Seoul Gangseo-gu (District Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it successfully completed the ‘2021 Hope Ondol Warm Winter Campaign’ by exceeding its fundraising target.

The Hope Ondol Warm Winter Campaign is a fundraising project conducted by the district and the Seoul Community Chest of Korea to help low-income vulnerable residents spend a warm winter.

The district conducted fundraising activities from November 16 last year for three months, collecting a total of 2,892,160,000 KRW, including 874,690,000 KRW in cash and 2,017,470,000 KRW in goods.

This amount exceeded the original target of 1,500,000,000 KRW by 93%.

Despite the difficult economic situation due to the prolonged COVID-19 crisis, the district attracted wide participation from all walks of life through active promotion via online channels such as SNS and YouTube, and by introducing a non-face-to-face fundraising method using QR codes.

The Seoul Agricultural & Marine Products Corporation and Banghwa 1-dong Kimchi Sharing Promotion Committee donated kimchi worth about 90 million KRW and 30 million KRW respectively, while Gangseo Agricultural Cooperative and Baekwang Church each donated rice worth about 30 million KRW for low-income families and other marginalized groups in the community.

Additionally, Daebang Construction and L&P Cosmetic each donated 50 million KRW, the Woorim Blue Nine Resident Companies Council donated about 40 million KRW, and Koltech and Dongyang Industrial Development each contributed 30 million KRW in donations.

Furthermore, various warm-hearted contributions came from volunteer groups, neighborhood leaders, small business owners, and individual sponsors in diverse ways.

In particular, the ‘Love Piggy Bank Coin Collection’ project in collaboration with the Bank of Korea attracted attention as 128 local daycare centers and kindergartens participated, donating about 14 million KRW collected by the small hands of children to pediatric cancer patients.

The district plans to use the total 2,892,160,000 KRW raised in cash and goods through the Seoul Community Chest of Korea for living expenses, medical costs, education expenses, and more for vulnerable groups in the region.

Individuals and organizations who practiced neighborly love through donations of money and goods will be awarded commendations and plaques of appreciation.

District Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, “This fundraising campaign was conducted under more difficult conditions than usual due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 crisis. I thank the residents who supported us to achieve good results, and we will do our best to manage the funds to deliver hope to neighbors in need.”