Are you looking for some great charities here in the city to get involved with? This week we introduce you to Feeding Hong Kong the only food bank in Hong Kong dedicated to redistributing surplus food to people in need.
Mission statement: Feeding Hong Kong is the only food bank in Hong Kong dedicated to redistributing surplus food to people in need. By providing a bridge between the food industry and the hungry of Hong Kong, it provides a solution that simultaneously cuts food waste and feeds those most in need.
Greatest achievement: Last year was an important year for Feeding Hong Kong. The organisation collected, sorted and distributed over 400 tonnes of food, which supported just under a million meals for those in need in the community. It also opened a second food bank and expanded its fleet. With the additional space and transportation, it was able to double the amount of food collected in 2014, and in turn support many more families in need.
Next 12 months: The aim this year is to focus efforts on doing more, with less. Feeding Hong Kong has overhauled its operations processes and organisational structure, and is implementing a new inventory management system, which will improve productivity and cost efficiency. This is what will help reduce waste and feed more people without increasing the cost per meal of HK$5.
How to help: To help the Feeding Hong Kong team achieve their mission, they ask you to consider the “three Fs”: food, funds and friends.
* Food: “If you work in a food company or know someone that does, check out our website to see how you can support as a food donor.”
* Funds: “While the food we handle is donated, we require vital funds to keep our warehouse and vans running, and to get the food we collect out to our charity network. For every HK$5 donated, you can help provide a meal to someone in need – and ensure good food does not end up in landfill. Help us make those dollars go even further by sponsoring a product or service. Right now, we are in urgent need of new computers and cardboard boxes for our food deliveries.”
* Friends: “We rely on volunteers at all levels of our operations, from collecting food and sorting and repacking it in our warehouse, to helping coordinate food drives and organising fundraising events. There’s something to do seven days a week, morning, afternoon and evening!”
Did You Know?
Despite relative economic prosperity, over 18 percent of the population in Hong Kong lives under the poverty line. This figure includes people from all walks of life, in every district of the SAR. At the same time, more than 3,200 tonnes of food is thrown away each and every day. This discarded food is not only taking up valuable space in the city’s limited landfills but is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
2205 6568 | info@feedinghk.org
Take a look at our last spotlight – Plastic Free Seas – and see how you can help clean up HK’s waters.
