Food and daily necessities packages to secure basic living — program identifies households falling through welfare gaps and strengthens tailored support linkages. Operated at Hwayangdong Lifestyle Support Center through year-end, weekday afternoons.
Gwangjin-gu has launched a program called "Geuyang Deurim" — meaning "just take it" — to guarantee basic food access for residents struggling to make ends meet and to identify households falling through the cracks of the welfare system.
The program provides food and daily necessities to residents who find it difficult to ask for help due to financial hardship or social stigma, and connects them with welfare services through on-site counseling.
Any Gwangjin-gu resident facing livelihood difficulties is eligible, with no income threshold required. The program particularly targets households in welfare blind spots, food-insecure individuals, people with unregistered addresses and undocumented migrants in need of emergency support. Institutions, organizations and existing food bank users are excluded.
Each visit provides a package of three to five essential items — including instant rice, canned tuna, ramyun and dried seaweed — along with other daily necessities. Residents can pick up their packages at the "Geuyang Deurim Corner" on the first floor of Hwayangdong Lifestyle Support Center.
The corner operates weekdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Proxy pickups are not permitted, so visitors must bring a valid ID. To ensure smooth operations and reach as many residents as possible, each person may use the service once a month.
Beyond distributing goods, the program conducts welfare counseling on a step-by-step basis with each visit. When additional support is needed — such as care services, residential assistance, medical aid or livelihood support — the welfare policy division will review the case and refer it to the relevant community center or welfare agency, with ongoing follow-up planned.
"Geuyang Deurim goes beyond simply handing out goods — it is about finding residents who need help and connecting them with the welfare services they need," Gwangjin-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said. "We will continue to build a tighter support network to close welfare gaps and stabilize the lives of our residents."
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