Hangang-ro-dong teams up with Sarang-ui Bapcha and local sponsors to share holiday warmth with elderly residents; volunteers provide meals, gifts and health consultations
Hangang-ro-dong in Seoul's Yongsan-gu held the "2026 Sweet Songpyeon and Hearty Chuseok with Sarang-ui Bapcha" event Thursday at Hanmaeum Children's Park, sharing the holiday spirit with neighbors ahead of Chuseok.
The event was hosted by Sarang-ui Bapcha, a nonprofit meal-delivery organization, and organized by the Hangang-ro-dong Community Social Security Council. About 300 low-income elderly residents and senior center regulars from the neighborhood gathered to enjoy the warmth of the holiday season.
The event was designed to provide nutritious meals to seniors at risk of skipping meals and to give the community a chance to check on their health and well-being. Local businesses — including Sinyongsan Church, Yongwoo Sangsa and E-mart's Yongsan branch — provided sponsorship, while about 60 volunteers from civic groups such as the Saemaul Women's Association and the neighborhood council, as well as employees of Welcome Savings Bank, pitched in to help.
Sarang-ui Bapcha served samgyetang and banchan prepared since early morning. The food was cooked in mobile kitchen vehicles parked outside the park, while volunteers helped with serving and seating inside the dining area set up within the park.
The Hangang-ro-dong Community Social Security Council distributed "Onmaeum Gift Packages" — each containing holiday songpyeon rice cakes and a dried-seaweed set — to the seniors, using funds from a designated project grant from the Seoul Community Chest of Korea. Additional donated goods from local sponsors were also handed out, adding to the festive atmosphere.
A health corner was set up alongside the meal. The Yongsan-gu Public Health Center ran a booth offering dementia awareness information and health consultations for seniors. The Saemaul Women's Association provided complimentary beverages for attendees.
Yongsan-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-dae visited the event and joined in serving the samgyetang. He greeted each senior individually, asking after their health, and expressed gratitude to the volunteers and sponsors who had worked to make the event possible.
"I am deeply grateful to Sarang-ui Bapcha, the Hangang-ro-dong Community Social Security Council, our sponsors and all the volunteers who prepared such a heartfelt meal and gifts," Kim said. "I hope our seniors enjoy a warm and satisfying Chuseok, and we will continue working with the community to build a tightly woven welfare safety net so they can live comfortably in their daily lives."
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