Provided Free Meals to Underprivileged Children for Six Years Since 2019
"Discovered Cases of Students Taking Classmates' Meal Cards"
A sushi buffet restaurant in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, had been providing free meals to underprivileged children who brought their meal cards, but has now announced that it will no longer offer this service. The restaurant had been happy to serve meals to children, but decided to stop after it became known that meals were free with a meal card, and cases were discovered where students took their classmates' meal cards and came to the restaurant.
On June 19, this story was shared on an online community, sparking outrage among netizens. In the photo accompanying the post, a sandwich board sign reads, "We will no longer accept Dream Tree Cards or Colorful Dream Cards (meal cards) for underprivileged children. Just come and enjoy a meal comfortably. Think of it as an uncle or aunt preparing a meal for you, so come and eat without feeling self-conscious. Please just call us before you come."
The sign also reads, "Happiness is smiling and enjoying yourself confidently. I hope that both your present and future selves will be happy and healthy. We will always support you."
This restaurant location had been providing free meals to underprivileged children for six years since 2019, but abruptly stopped the support about a month ago. This was because the fact that meals were free with a meal card became widely known, and there were cases where students took their classmates' meal cards and visited the restaurant.
The owner of the restaurant said, "For the past six years since 2019, I have never hesitated to provide meals to children and have always done so with a happy heart. However, incidents like this have left me feeling empty and disappointed," adding, "From now on, I plan to make personal donations to volunteer organizations such as child support centers and senior citizen support centers."
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