Mapo-gu Recruits 15 Additional Senior Meal Service Institutions Early This Year, Total 32 Locations Serving 1,500 People
Senior Meal Volunteers Provide Companionship, Meal Distribution, and Guidance...Individual and Group Volunteers Recruited Year-Round
Park Gang-su, Mapo-gu Mayor, “With Side Dish Factory Opening This Year, Senior Meal Service Will Expand...Please Join Us in Warm Support”
Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Kang-su) is recruiting volunteers to participate in the highly popular ‘Resident Participation Filial Piety Meal’ program.
The ‘Resident Participation Filial Piety Meal’ is a one-stop integrated senior service first launched nationwide by Mapo-gu in April last year. It provides balanced lunch meals six days a week to seniors aged 75 and older, prevents solitary deaths through regular check-ins, manages health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension via nurse visits, and offers legal and tax consultations.
Starting with 17 meal service institutions last year, an additional 15 institutions were recruited in January this year, enabling a total of 1,500 elderly living alone to use the Filial Piety Meal service at 32 meal institutions from April onward.
In particular, with the completion of the Filial Piety Meal ‘Side Dish Factory’ at the end of March, which will enable large-scale meal preparation, the district expects an increased demand for volunteers to support the expansion of the Filial Piety Meal program and plans to intensify recruitment efforts.
Volunteering opportunities are available for those who can serve at meal institutions operating six days a week (Monday to Saturday) or five days a week (Monday to Friday), including volunteer camp activists from each neighborhood who can volunteer at least once a month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., members of neighborhood functional organizations, individual volunteers registered on the 1365 volunteer portal, and companies or organizations wishing to volunteer.
Volunteers assist with meal distribution to elderly recipients, provide companionship, and offer guidance. Currently, about 320 volunteers are active at meal institutions in each neighborhood, helping local seniors maintain healthy lives.
A district official stated, “As the name suggests, the Resident Participation Filial Piety Meal is a project led together by residents. Many people are currently participating as volunteers, and the elderly who use the Filial Piety Meal sincerely appreciate the volunteers who greet them with a smile every day.”
Volunteer hours are officially recognized, and outstanding Filial Piety Meal volunteers are honored annually on Volunteer Day.
The district is focusing on recruiting Filial Piety Meal volunteers by neighborhood until the 25th and plans to continue recruiting throughout the year. Individuals or groups interested in participating can inquire at their local neighborhood community center or the Mapo-gu Volunteer Center.
Mayor Park Kang-su of Mapo-gu said, “The significant response to the Resident Participation Filial Piety Meal program is largely due to the roles of volunteers and sponsors who have supported it. Through this year’s Filial Piety Meal ‘Side Dish Factory,’ we hope more seniors can benefit from the program, and we ask for the warm companionship of volunteers who love the community.”
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