Charity food drive just one of 150 activities staged locally, as call made to boost local participation in such campaigns
Last Saturday starting at 8am, five-year-old Kaishori Crosbie carefully placed cans of meat and fish one by one into goodie bags that also contained toiletries.
She and her mother, Sharanya Jayawickrama, were taking part in a charity food drive preparing basic necessities for needy families in Hong Kong. Distribution was slated for this Saturday.
The pair spent three hours packing, and Jayawickrama, who is in her 30s, said she wanted her daughter to learn sympathy for others.
“She was surprised to know that things we take for granted don’t come easily for others and I want her to know that we should give back to families facing uneasy conditions,” Jayawickrama said, smiling as she recounted how her excited daughter had awakened at 6am, brushed her teeth and dressed herself.
The event was organised by non-profit group HandsOn Hong Kong and 50 of its NGO partners, including Sunshine Action, to mark Mother’s Day on Sunday. It underscored the different ways in which Hongkongers can devote their time and efforts to helping the less fortunate.
According to the Social Welfare Department’s volunteer movement initiative, about 17 per cent of the city’s residents – or about 1.3 million people – were registered as volunteers as of March this year.
The number of those who volunteer has increased over the years, NGOs say, but they believe many more want to serve but have not yet done so.
