Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-04

More than 20,000 people in need gathered together on Sunday in central Taipei to partake

Former President Ma Ying-jeou (fourth from left in front) participated in the Taipei banquet on Sunday, helping to pass out red envelopes with NT$500 (about US$17) to each of the participants. This money will give recipients a little extra assistance during the upcoming Lunar New Year, when many social welfare providers are on vacation. (CNA photo)

in special feast. The goal was to share the warmth of the upcoming Chinese New Year season with the homeless, elderly who live alone, single mothers, people with disabilities, and those living under the poverty line.

The annual event is organized by three local charities: Zenan Homeless Social Welfare Foundation (which works with people who are homeless or living in poverty), Genesis Social Welfare Foundation (which works largely with people in a persistent vegetative state), and Huashan Social Welfare Foundation (which works largely with the elderly).

In addition to the Taipei banquet, feasts were also held on Sunday at 15 other locations throughout Taiwan, serving a nation-wide total of roughly 40,000 people. The Taipei event, the largest of the banquets, was held for the third year in a row at a prominent place in the city: right in front of the Presidential Office Building. Vice President Chen Chien-jen spoke at the event, saying that what is usually a space for public protests, had become a space for the love and warmth of the season.
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