Sharing Side Dishes at Yeongam Church and Gyeongdong Church in Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu

Church Congregants and Volunteers Gather to Prepare Fresh and Healthy Meals
Leading the Spread of Sharing Culture Through Consistent Care for Neighbors in Need

This year as well, sharing continues in Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro), for neighbors in need of help.

On the 5th, the doors of Yeongam Church located in Anam-dong opened early in the morning. Yeongam Church has been volunteering to share meals every Tuesday for vulnerable groups in the local community. To provide fresh and healthy meals, volunteers and church members gather to prepare and cook the food using ingredients received on the same day. The volunteers here boast over 10 years of volunteer experience.

The side dish volunteer service, which started during the IMF crisis, has never missed a week since then. Even when the local community was struggling due to COVID-19, they said they could not take a break from the side dish service during such difficult times and provided simple meals like gimbap, delivering warm sharing for the community.

Currently, Yeongam Church supports side dishes for five low-income households in Anam-dong every other week. In the future, they plan to discover and support not only low-income families but also elderly living alone and those in welfare blind spots, increasing the number of supported households by five more and deciding to increase the support frequency from biweekly to weekly.

A representative of Yeongam Church said, “Since COVID-19, the number of visitors, which used to be over 200, has decreased by more than half, which is very concerning. We prepared the meals sincerely hoping that residents will have healthy food, so we hope they enjoy it, and the church is always open for local residents.”

Additionally, Kyungdong Church located in Anam-dong also shared warm news of sharing. Since 2018, on the first and third Wednesdays of every month, they have been making soup and 3 to 4 basic side dishes to share with neighbors. Initially, they supported four households once a month, but as more church members joined in the spirit, they now support nine households twice a month.

Kyungdong Church not only supports side dishes but also provides sponsorship funds to two low-income single-parent families every month and, through collaboration with the Anam-dong Community Security Council, supports feminine hygiene products for women in 10 vulnerable households in the area.

Pastor Han Byung-hee of Kyungdong Church said, “I am always grateful to the church members who help us to continuously serve the local community. Based on their support, we will strive to deliver much love to Anam-dong.”

Jung Young-im, head of Anam-dong, said, “I am thankful that the churches take the lead in caring for neighbors in need and engaging in sharing activities,” and added, “The community center will also carefully ensure that no local residents are left out so that we can create a healthy and happy Anam-dong.”