A sharing initiative that regularly provides a warm meal to neighbors who, because of financial hardship, rarely even get the chance to dine out with their families has begun in Yeongjong 1-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon. On the 24th, the Yeongjong 1-dong Community Social Security Council (Co-Chairs Lee Cheol-ho and Kim Sang-kwon) signed a business agreement with the local restaurant ‘Sumuntong Jjamppong’ (owner Kim Nam-su) to support dining out for vulnerable residents.
 [The Korean Today] Business agreement between Sumuntong Jjamppong and the Yeongjong 1-dong Community Social Security Council to support dining out for vulnerable residents © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
Under the agreement, Sumuntong Jjamppong will provide free meals to two vulnerable households each month, while the Yeongjong 1-dong council will take on the role of directly identifying and recommending households in need of support. The arrangement combines the resources of a private restaurant with the identification function of the neighborhood-level welfare network, establishing a system for continuous sharing.
The agreement is significant in that it is not a one-off donation but ongoing monthly support. It is expected that households with few opportunities to dine out due to financial difficulty will be able to share meals with their families and build memories together.
Kim Nam-su, owner of Sumuntong Jjamppong, who stepped forward to share, explained the background to his participation: “I once felt heartbroken seeing students who came to the restaurant with their friends but could not eat because of their financial circumstances.”
 [The Korean Today] Yeongjong 1-dong signing ceremony for the warm-meal sharing agreement for vulnerable residents © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
Kim added, “That experience led to the thought that I wanted to treat struggling neighbors to a warm meal. I joined this sharing effort in the hope that children from vulnerable families and their families could share meals together and create happy memories.”
Kim Sang-kwon, the civilian co-chair, said, “I am grateful to owner Kim Nam-su for readily taking part in sharing for the community,” adding, “I hope this agreement becomes a precious opportunity to dine out for struggling neighbors and an occasion for the local culture of sharing to spread further.”
Lee Cheol-ho, head of Yeongjong 1-dong, said, “This agreement is a meaningful example of the community’s warm attention and sharing being channeled into welfare resources for struggling neighbors,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to identify and link various private resources to build a tight welfare safety net for struggling neighbors.” This case, which drew out private welfare resources at the neighborhood level and made them a regular practice, is regarded as a model for strengthening the local welfare network.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
Become a Local Ambassador Apply as Branch Director The Korean Today — Nam-Incheon
 |
Leave a Reply