7,500 bags of rice delivered to Seongnam for vulnerable residents
Cumulative donations since 1999 reach 175,260 bags, worth 4.44 billion won
Foundation also backs firefighters, ALS care facility and disaster relief
The Ace Gyeongam Foundation donated 210 million won ($156,000) worth of white rice to support low-income residents in Seongnam ahead of Chuseok — continuing a tradition it began in 1999 and is now marking for the 28th consecutive year.
The foundation held a rice donation ceremony at Seongnam City Hall on Tuesday, handing over 7,500 bags of 10-kilogram rice to the city. The rice will go toward supporting the livelihoods of vulnerable residents, including elderly people living alone, during the holiday season.
The foundation has donated rice every Lunar New Year and Chuseok since 1999. Cumulative donations through this Chuseok now stand at 175,260 bags, equivalent to about 4.44 billion won.
This year the foundation donated 7,500 bags for both the Lunar New Year and Chuseok. It said it maintained the expanded donation volume introduced at this year's Lunar New Year in recognition of the growing financial burden on low-income households amid high prices.
Beyond its holiday rice donations, the foundation has continued disaster relief and welfare support efforts. In March last year, it donated 500 million won to Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association to help with recovery from wildfires in the Gyeongsang region. It subsequently partnered with dealerships in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province to support the restoration of living environments, providing a total of 150 million won in bed purchase subsidies to more than 110 households over roughly a year.
The foundation has also contributed a cumulative 1.5 billion won to improve working conditions for firefighters, and donated a total of 400 million won to the Seung-il Hope Foundation to support the construction of an ALS care hospital and improve medical and nursing conditions for patients.
Through a briquette-sharing program involving its employees, the foundation has delivered more than 340,000 briquettes to date. In Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, it operates the "Ace Senior Center," providing free meals to about 200 people a day.
"I hope this rice donation brings warm comfort and a bountiful Chuseok to neighbors going through difficult times," foundation Chairman Ahn Sung-ho said. "Just as we have consistently donated rice for 28 years, we will continue to provide support that makes a real difference in the daily lives of our community and neighbors."
hong@heraldcorp.com
