HONG KONG (SE): The social concern group of Mother of Christ parish, Sheung Shui, launched a community support project to help the grassroots people to deal with their daily needs during this time of epidemic and economic difficulty.
Deacon Stephen Kwok Ping-fai, spiritual director of the group, said many grassroots workers have been underemployed and the donation campaign is meant to help them overcome their present difficulties.
He heard that some working in restaurants or on construction sites had been without work for half a month and some expected their savings would dry up soon. They feel helpless as even applying for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance takes at least three months.
As at March 7, the parish had received packs of rice, toilet rolls and different kinds of food from groups and individuals, while cash donations reached $297,000.
Deacon Kwok told the Sunday Examiner on March 9 that the preparation committee of the campaign decided that the beneficiaries of the campaign would include 30 families.
Some had been previously approached by the social concern group, while others have been referred by priests or nearby social welfare organisations. The preparation committee will keep updating the list of beneficiaries and disclose it from time to time.
After a simple approval procedure, the selected households will receive support for eight weeks, after which the committee will decide whether to continue with the support or give it to other families in need. The families can receive rice, canned food, vegetables, fruits, snacks and drinks, which will be given away at the parish at a scheduled date every week.
Deacon Kwok said that in order to tackle the space constrains for storage, the committee will, after carefully comparing prices, buy the daily necessities with the money raised from donations and distribute them within a short period of time. For example, the first distribution day for selected families is March 14, after the delivery of most of the ordered materials to the parish on March 13.
For this reason, he said the committee preferred donations in cash.
The committee is required to give a monthly report to the parish priest to keep him informed him of the situation of the donations and distributions.
Interested parties can write a check payable to “Mother of Christ Parish” and mail it to the parish office. They also need to address it to “Deacon Stephen Kwok” and write “Community Support Project” on the envelope.
