Eco-Friendly Produce Bundles Provided to 1,389 Families with Children

The Gyeonggi Province Agricultural and Livestock Products Promotion Corporation held a ‘Eco-Friendly Produce Bundle Delivery Ceremony Using Hometown Love Donation Fund’ at the Yeoju Community Children's Center on the 12th, and began delivering eco-friendly produce bundles to 1,389 families with children using community children's centers.

Gyeonggi Province established the ‘Eco-Friendly Produce Bundle Support Project for Vulnerable Groups,’ the first designated donation project using the Hometown Love Donation Fund, to reduce nutritional gaps for children when school meals are suspended during school breaks and to support healthy eating habits.

Since fundraising began in July of last year through March of this year, a total of 60 million won in donations has been collected. Using these funds, a total of 2,812 families will be supported twice this year during winter and summer school breaks.

During the winter school break in February, eco-friendly produce bundles were delivered to 1,423 families with children using community children's centers. For this summer school break, bundles will be sequentially delivered to 1,389 families with children at community children's centers in six cities and counties—Gapyeong, Yeoncheon, Yangpyeong, Yeoju, Pocheon, and Dongducheon—which have high demand for childcare support due to population decline and other factors.

The delivery ceremony on the 12th was attended by Choi Chang-soo, director of the Gyeonggi Province Agricultural and Livestock Products Promotion Corporation; Jo Byung-rae, director of the Autonomous Administration Bureau of Gyeonggi Province; and Jeon Chang-ho, chairman of the Gyeonggi Province Council of Social Welfare, who reviewed the eco-friendly produce bundles and shared updates on project implementation.

Choi Chang-soo, director of the Gyeonggi Province Agricultural and Livestock Products Promotion Corporation, stated, “The eco-friendly produce bundle support project helps provide food security for children whose school meals are suspended during breaks and also contributes to securing stable sales channels for eco-friendly farms. Through donations, we will create a mutually beneficial model where local welfare and agriculture grow together.”

Jo Byung-rae, director of the Autonomous Administration Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, said, “Prompted by this project, we will continue to discover designated donation projects so that the Hometown Love Donation Fund can be practically utilized in solving various local issues. We will also make efforts so that more people can relate to and participate in the meaning of the Hometown Love Donation.”

The Hometown Love Donation system is a program that allows individuals to donate up to 20 million won annually to a local government of their choice, excluding their current address.