All Gwanak-gu Employees Visit Senior Centers, Vulnerable Single-Person Households, and Welfare Facilities to Share Warmth with Neighbors
On the 17th, Gwanak-gu Mayor Park Junhee Participated in ‘Seollal Food Packaging’ Volunteer Activity with the Gwanak-gu Volunteer Management Committee
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jongil] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Junhee) designated January 16 to 20 as a focused volunteer week for the Lunar New Year holiday, with all employees engaging in volunteer activities.
The ‘Gwanak-gu Public Officials Volunteer Activity’ is a long-standing tradition unique to Gwanak-gu, aimed at visiting and caring for vulnerable neighbors who are easily overlooked before the holiday and sharing warmth.
Employees from all departments connected with the 21 neighborhood community centers visit senior centers, vulnerable single-person households, welfare facilities, and low-income households to check on their well-being, provide companionship, meal service, environmental maintenance, and facility inspections to ensure safety, so that all residents can have a warm and happy Lunar New Year.
On the 17th, Mayor Park Junhee visited the Gwanak-gu Volunteer Center and personally participated in the ‘Seollal Food Packaging’ volunteer activity with the Volunteer Management Committee, packaging rice cake soup rice cakes, dumplings, beef bone soup, and eggs. (Photo) The packaged food will be delivered to vulnerable groups in the area. Mayor Park also conveyed a message of encouragement, hoping that neighbors at risk of food insecurity will have a warm Lunar New Year.
Additionally, social welfare centers in Gwanak-gu are conducting various volunteer activities for neighbors who may be isolated during the Lunar New Year until the 20th.
Seongmin Comprehensive Social Welfare Center is conducting ‘Lunar New Year Greeting Sharing’ for vulnerable single-person households, Sillim Comprehensive Social Welfare Center is running ‘Adding Hope through Sharing’ by preparing and sharing holiday food, Bongcheon Comprehensive Social Welfare Center is hosting a ‘Lunar New Year Multi-Blessing Feast’ with free meals for seniors, and Jungang Social Welfare Center is conducting sharing activities including magic shows.
Mayor Park Junhee said, “I thank all volunteers who work tirelessly in various fields for the residents,” and added, “I hope the passion for sharing and volunteer activities will continue to grow vigorously in the Year of the Black Rabbit.”
Jongno-gu Launches ‘Care SOS Center’ Program for Middle-Aged and Older Adults Aged 50 and Above… Provides Various Customized Services Including Temporary Home Care and Accompaniment Support
Delivers holiday food and snacks added to regular lunchboxes and fruit lunchboxes to help residents enjoy a joyful Lunar New Year
Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Munheon) will conduct the ‘Lunar New Year Holiday Meal Support’ at the Care SOS Center on the 20th to assist residents in need of care.
The program aims to respond to care gaps during the holiday period and support residents to enjoy a warm Lunar New Year without worrying about meals within their community.
Accordingly, the existing meal delivery service recipients will receive not only regular lunchboxes and weekly fruit lunchboxes but also holiday foods such as rice cake soup, dumplings, and short rib soup, along with various snack packages including yakgwa (traditional Korean sweets), nuts, and sikhye (sweet rice drink), making the offerings more abundant.
To prevent food spoilage, holiday foods will include retort pouch products and will be delivered directly to each household’s door, with receipt monitored via phone calls and text messages.
Meanwhile, the Jongno-gu Care SOS Center is a program targeting seniors, persons with disabilities, and middle-aged adults aged 50 and above who require urgent or temporary care.
It focuses on providing diverse and detailed customized care services such as temporary home care, meal delivery, residential convenience, and accompaniment support to cover urgent and temporary care gaps that arise after hospital discharge, during health recovery from illness, or while waiting for other mid- to long-term care services.
Notably, unlike existing services that mainly target those aged 65 and above, this program expands the target to middle-aged adults aged 50 and above who are exposed to blind spots. Delivering lunchboxes directly to homes and confirming receipt by phone or text when face-to-face delivery is difficult helps neighbors watch over each other closely and prevent care blind spots, which is meaningful.
Mayor Jeong Munheon said, “We launched this Lunar New Year meal delivery service so that Jongno-gu residents who need care and help can fully feel the love of their neighbors and have a warm holiday,” adding, “We will meet the increasingly diverse and complex care needs of residents due to aging and the rise of single-person households and create a Jongno without welfare blind spots.”
Dobong-gu to Implement Customized ‘Energy Sharing Welfare Project’ for 5,871 Vulnerable Households This Year
Electricity Bill Support for 300 Households, Free LED Light Replacement for 150 Households, Briquette Coupons for 21 Households, Energy Vouchers for 5,000 Households, Gas Safety Shutoff Devices for 200 Households Including Dementia Patients, Boiler Safety Inspections and Facility Improvements for 200 Households
Dobong-gu (Mayor Oh Eonseok) will implement a ‘Customized Energy Sharing Welfare Project’ for a total of 5,871 vulnerable households this year, including electricity bill support, free LED light replacement, briquette coupon distribution, energy voucher support, gas safety shutoff device distribution, and boiler safety inspections and facility improvements.
The support targets basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty groups, elderly living alone, dementia patients, etc. Briquette coupons and energy vouchers are supported by government projects, while electricity bill support, LED replacement, and gas safety shutoff device distribution will select new recipients excluding existing beneficiaries through neighborhood community centers and welfare-related departments to prevent overlapping support.
The 2023 energy welfare project support scale includes ▲Electricity bill support for 300 basic livelihood security recipients and near-poverty groups from January to March 2023 (50,000 KRW per household) ▲Briquette coupon support for 21 basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty groups, and marginalized groups from October 2023 to April 2024 (450,000 KRW per household) ▲Energy voucher support for 5,000 basic livelihood security recipients (marginalized groups), persons with disabilities, etc., from May 2023 to April 2024 (103,000 to 209,000 KRW per household) ▲Free LED light replacement for 150 basic livelihood security recipients and near-poverty groups from April to December 2023 (approximately 800,000 KRW per household) ▲Gas safety shutoff device distribution for 200 safety-vulnerable households (including dementia patients and persons with disabilities) from February to November 2023 (worth about 60,000 KRW per household) ▲Boiler safety inspections and facility improvements for 200 safety-vulnerable households (including dementia patients and persons with disabilities) in May and November 2023.
Starting this year, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning accidents that may occur during the use of residential heating boilers, Dobong-gu will work with the Korea Heat Management Construction Association to conduct safety inspections of oil, briquette, and gas boilers in low-income households and support improvements for non-compliant facilities.
In particular, Dobong-gu has been creating a climate response fund using revenue from solar power sales and virtual power plant operations since 2019 to support electricity bills for energy-vulnerable groups, and plans to discover new energy welfare projects and expand support every year.
Mayor Oh Eonseok said, “Through the expansion of customized energy sharing welfare projects for vulnerable groups, we will realize a warm companionship with the weak and strive to create a happy and safe society for all.”
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