13,000 Meals Delivered to 49 Children in Need Over One Year Through the "Happy Two Meals Project"
Happy Lunchbox Social Cooperative Receives Minister of Health and Welfare Commendation for Excellence in Child Meal Service
Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) is attracting attention by collaborating with various organizations to deliver warm lunchboxes twice a week for the healthy growth of children facing food insecurity in welfare blind spots.
To identify and support children suffering from food insecurity, Dongdaemun-gu signed a business agreement in December 2023 with the social contribution network Happy Alliance, the Korea Local Finance Association, and the Happy Lunchbox Social Cooperative.
Since then, starting from April 2024, Dongdaemun-gu has been conducting the "Happy Two Meals Project," the first of its kind in Seoul, providing lunchboxes to 49 children at risk of food insecurity for one year.
According to the agreement, Dongdaemun-gu identified 49 children who were not receiving existing child meal support, Happy Alliance (Happy Narae) and the Korea Local Finance Association supported the lunchbox manufacturing costs. Additionally, Daesang Wellife, a member company of Happy Alliance, sponsored snacks worth approximately 27 million KRW to promote the healthy growth of the children.
The Happy Lunchbox Social Cooperative designs meal plans considering the children's nutrition, prepares five meals' worth of lunchboxes per week, delivers them twice a week to their homes, and is also responsible for meal hygiene management.
In recognition of these efforts, the Happy Lunchbox Social Cooperative received the Minister of Health and Welfare Commendation for Excellence in Child Meal Service in 2024.
The lunchboxes consist of four side dishes and snacks, and use safe reusable containers free from environmental hormones, contributing to carbon neutrality efforts.
According to the "Happy Two Meals Project Satisfaction Survey" conducted in June, over 80% of the recipients responded that they were generally satisfied with the lunchboxes. The district continues to conduct ongoing monitoring to provide better lunchboxes.
One child receiving the lunchbox support said, "My parents are often not at home, so I am thankful for the healthy and delicious side dishes provided."
Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, "During the project period, we will do our best with the partner organizations to provide quality meals to children in welfare blind spots within the district," and added, "We will seek continuous support measures for children facing food insecurity even after the agreement ends."
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