South Chungcheong fire department distributes 85 million won to 18 households hit by fires, serious illness
A grassroots charity program run by the South Chungcheong Province fire department has drawn attention for turning small daily contributions into substantial relief for residents in crisis.
The South Chungcheong fire department said Friday it had provided emergency support to 18 households facing financial hardship due to fire damage or serious illness, distributing 7 million won ($5,060) per household for a total of 85 million won.
Recipients included residents struggling with the aftermath of house fires, traffic accidents and serious medical conditions.
Among them was a man in his 70s with a physical disability who suffered third-degree burns across his entire body in late February, when a gas heater ignited an explosion at the vinyl greenhouse where he was living. He has been undergoing treatment ever since, facing mounting medical bills while also struggling to secure a place to live.
A man in his 60s lost his spouse in a traffic accident and had been raising two daughters on his own, but a sudden acute cerebral infarction left him with hemiplegia and dysarthria, stripping him of his ability to work and pushing him into financial crisis.
Also among the recipients were an 80-year-old grandparent raising a 14-year-old grandchild with severe physical disabilities alone, and a person in their 50s receiving treatment for rare conditions including ampullary cancer — households facing both medical and economic hardship.
The program, known as "Gachigayu Chungnam 119," is the fire department's flagship charity initiative, pooling small daily contributions into large-scale donations. Fire department civil servants and volunteer firefighters each voluntarily set aside 119 won a day, with the accumulated funds going to support vulnerable residents who have lost their homes or livelihoods to fires and other disasters.
Launched in February 2021, the program has raised a cumulative total of 1.2 billion won to date, supporting 475 households across the province — including 283 households affected by fires, 150 economically vulnerable households and 42 households with severely disabled members — with 877.51 million won disbursed so far.
Baek Seung-du, acting director of the South Chungcheong fire department, said he hoped "the small but sincere contributions our firefighters set aside every day will give neighbors struggling through disaster the hope to get back on their feet." He added that the department would continue not only its core mission of protecting residents' lives and safety, but also deliver swift, practical help to those in crisis and sustain its culture of community-minded administration.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
