Community Chest of Korea launches summer sharing campaign

31-day nationwide fundraising drive kicks off

Launch ceremony for the 2026 Hope Summer Sharing Campaign [Provided by Community Chest of Korea]
Launch ceremony for the 2026 Hope Summer Sharing Campaign [Provided by Community Chest of Korea]

The Community Chest of Korea is stepping up support for vulnerable groups during the summer, launching a nationwide month-long campaign to provide heat-relief supplies and cooling cost assistance.

The organization announced Monday that it has launched its annual mid-year fundraising drive, the 2026 Hope Summer Sharing Campaign, with a launch ceremony in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

The campaign runs for 31 days through July 15 across all 17 cities and provinces. Backed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, it aims to spread charitable giving beyond the year-end season, help vulnerable residents stay healthy through the summer, and strengthen community safety nets. The Community Chest of Korea held this year's national launch ceremony in Gyeonggi Province, following last year's event in Incheon, as part of its effort to build a locally rooted culture of sharing.

Alongside the campaign launch, the organization distributed a total of 6.3 billion won (about $4.14 million) to all 17 cities and provinces — up 1.3 billion won from the 5 billion won allocated last year. The increase reflects a deliberate expansion of support in response to intensifying heat waves and rising energy costs.

The funds will go toward region-specific programs, including the production of more than 50,000 summer survival kits, electricity bill subsidies and nutritional meal support. Busan will subsidize electricity bills for low-income households struggling with cooling costs, while Daegu will provide nutritional meals and cooling products to elderly residents living alone. Jeju will supply kits containing local gift vouchers and cooling items to participants in self-sufficiency programs. The distribution structure is tiered to reflect the differing needs of each region.

The campaign targets low-income, energy-vulnerable households — including elderly residents, people with disabilities and self-sufficiency program participants — and will deliver support through a public-private network of welfare center associations, social welfare councils and volunteer centers.

The launch ceremony took place at the indoor gymnasium of the Gyeonggi Provincial Human Resources Development Institute. Attendees included Community Chest of Korea Chairman Yoon Yeo-jun, officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Gyeonggi Province and IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, and the organization's promotional ambassadors. Participants and volunteers packed summer survival kits on-site; the finished kits are set to be delivered to 2,880 low-income households in southern Gyeonggi Province through the Gyeongnam Food Bank Market.

At the ceremony, IBK Industrial Bank of Korea donated 250 million won to the Community Chest of Korea to help prevent heat-related illness and isolated deaths among residents of low-cost lodging houses. The funds will be channeled through 10 lodging-house counseling centers nationwide to purchase cooling equipment such as air conditioners and electric fans, and to provide emergency living expense support for households facing compounded financial hardship from the extreme heat.

"Climate change is rapidly transforming our daily lives, and for neighbors living in small rooms or cheap lodging houses without air conditioning, a heat wave is nothing short of a disaster," Chairman Yoon said. He added: "We ask for your support and participation in the 2026 Hope Summer Sharing Campaign so that those suffering from heat waves and the climate crisis can get through the summer safely."


terry@heraldcorp.com