Geumcheon-gu Distributes Lunar New Year Meal Cards for Food-Insecure Children

Use of 30,000 KRW per person at over 2,300 general restaurants until June 30

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) is conducting the ‘Neighborhood Happiness Card’ support project for children at risk of food insecurity in celebration of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The ‘Neighborhood Happiness Card’ is a project that provides prepaid cards usable locally along with holiday greeting cards to children at risk of food insecurity, helping them enjoy a joyful holiday. This initiative has been carried out every Lunar New Year and Chuseok since its launch in 2021.

The beneficiaries are 1,432 children who, as of January 2023, are using the Child Meal Card (Kkum Namu Card) at their local community centers, receiving food support, or using group meal facilities.

The meal cards can be used until June 30, and within a limit of 30,000 KRW per person, they can be used at over 2,300 general restaurants within Geumcheon-gu. The list of participating restaurants can be checked on the Geumcheon-gu website under the ‘Geumcheon News’ section.

Those holding the Neighborhood Happiness Card can use their existing cards automatically recharged without a separate application, while new applicants or those who lost their cards must obtain them at their local community center.

Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “I hope the Neighborhood Happiness Card helps children spend a joyful holiday with their families and friends,” adding, “We will continue to develop policies that provide more support to children and youth in Geumcheon-gu.”

Gwangjin-gu Produces Guidebook for Single-Person Households... Holds 1st Hope Together Sharing Ceremony

Guidebook Contains Key Details of 21 Projects... Distributed to Community Centers and Single-Person Household Support Centers

‘1st Hope Together Sharing Ceremony’ Delivers Warmth of Sharing to Vulnerable Single-Person Households

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) has produced 3,000 copies of a guidebook containing useful information for single-person households in response to their continuous increase.

This guidebook is designed to help anyone living in Gwangjin-gu easily understand the support projects for single-person households by selecting necessary services and systems and presenting them with photos and illustrations for better comprehension.

It also includes information about the facilities and various programs of the Gwangjin-gu Single-Person Household Support Center, which opened last year, providing systematic support services for single-person households.

The guidebook introduces a total of 21 projects across four areas: safety, health, isolation/economy, and housing, including not only Gwangjin-gu’s projects but also those of Seoul city and related organizations.

Additionally, the district designed the guidebook so residents can easily understand the core details of each project. It explains the target groups, eligibility, and application methods for projects such as ‘Safety Supplies Support for Women Living Alone,’ ‘Mental and Physical Health Care for Young Single-Person Households,’ and ‘Safe Accompaniment Service for Daily Life Recovery after Hospital Discharge.’ For inquiries, contact information is provided at the bottom of the guidebook.

The produced guidebooks will be distributed to each community center and the Gwangjin-gu Single-Person Household Support Center, and will be provided to single-person households visiting these institutions.

There are two Gwangjin-gu Single-Person Household Support Centers, located on the 3rd floor of The Raum Penthouse Avenue B near Konkuk University Station and on the 4th floor of the Health and Welfare Administration Town building near Junggok Station.

On the 19th at 2 p.m., the Gwangjin-gu Single-Person Household Support Center held the ‘1st Lunar New Year Hope Together Sharing Ceremony’ (photo). This ceremony supports vulnerable single-person households residing in Hwayang-dong, where the largest number of young single-person households live, Junggok 4-dong, where middle-aged and elderly single-person households are most concentrated, and Jayang 4-dong, where the center is located.

The gifts sponsored by the Single-Person Household Support Center include 120 boxes of ramen and 45 bags of 10kg rice, which will be distributed to selected recipients by the respective community centers.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, stated, “Specialized services tailored to the needs of the rapidly increasing single-person households are necessary. We prepared the ‘Single-Person Household Support Guidebook’ and the ‘1st Lunar New Year Hope Together Sharing Ceremony’ to ensure a comfortable living environment for single-person households in Gwangjin,” adding, “We will continue to strive to discover customized support projects from the perspective of service users through more communication.”