【Merchant Story】Exclusive Interview with Charity Organization “Giverice 852”

Living a humdrum life, every day we scutter on streets just to go to work. With all the stress from work and life occupying our minds, how long has it been since you paid attention to the community? The founder of Giverice 852, Ms. Ho Pui Yin, who used to work in To Kwa Wan, often witnesses many elderly people drenched in sweat as they carry loads of cardboard discarded by stores and sell them to the recycling stores. After a long day, they may only earn $8 or $10. In view of this, she thinks that as a citizen, if we lend a helping hand, and encourage people around us to participate, these elderly people may have the chance to enjoy free lunch, giving them a little warmth.

Ms. Ho cooperates with local markets and restaurants to distribute vegetarian lunch boxes under the To Kwa Wan Flyover on the 15^th day of every month according to the Lunar calendar, which gradually attracts many elderly people. “We use the original and old-fashioned method of promoting the event by word of mouth. People accumulate as time goes by, and the elderly in need eventually show up. There’s no special advertising method. Recruiting volunteers shares the same go-with-the flow format - we set up a Facebook group to recruit volunteers and indicate the quantity of volunteers needed for our events, then people will naturally show up and help.” She laughed lightheartedly.

“They just need simple chats and care.”

Giverice 852 was established in 2015, and Ms. Ho found that there were many elderly people living alone in the community for various reasons, so it was time to care further and let them feel the warmth in the world. Since 2017, in addition to the regular lunch box distribution, she has been inviting the elderly to a restaurant for morning tea every month. Three quarters of them live alone. They are happy to talk about trivial matters in life, like which food stall is cheaper, and whether the TV series are good.

Ms. Ho recalled, “One of them had his birthday that month and the volunteers gave him sincere blessings and longevity peaches. He had a very touched and happy look on his face.” To Ms. Ho and the volunteers, this was the most sincere and valuable response, which made them believe that their perseverance has always been meaningful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NmdjRkgevY

Let caring for the community go “online”

Ms. Ho hopes that Giverice 852 will continue to grow as a local charity. Unlike the traditional fundraising methods of charities in the past, ever since she learnt about Boutir from the media in 2016, she has been using Boutir to raise funds, such as selling meal coupons, restaurant dinner sets, fruits, and so on. The effect is significant, raising the visibility of Giverice 852.

She believes that since modern people are living "online" 24 hours a day, the form of charity can go "online" too. Donors can donate and do good deeds as soon as they see related information in the introduction, so the process becomes straightforward and flexible. “I once received a notification from Boutir at 4am about a donor buying a meal voucher, and it was from the UK.

Ms. Ho is sure that Boutir can help Giverice 852 break the boundaries of space and time in fundraising. What's more, the payment methods supported by Boutir APP also save the fledgling charity a lot of hassles, whether it’s credit card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, Android Pay or PayPal. Caring for the community should not be limited to any forms in the first place.

Join Giverice 852 as a volunteer: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Giverice852/

Support Giverice 852 now: https://goo.gl/puDQyJ

(Editor's note: This interview was conducted in September 2017. The article has been modified, translated into English and re-uploaded to “Boutir Academy”.)

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