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The Government has taken the lead in funding short-term food assistance service for the needy to encourage the business sector to continue contributing and building a caring society through the collaboration of the business sector, the community and the Government amid the economic downturn.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Kinderness Centre of St James' Settlement in Sham Shui Po today (February 14), the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said that the Government had decided last July to enhance short-term food assistance - a service run by the community and the business sector in the past - by adopting a three-pronged strategy.
"We offer dollar-to-dollar matching grants to welfare organisations through the Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged to not only provide them with the operation capital, but also encourage them to solicit charity donations from outside. As one of the benefiting organisations, the Kinderness Centre of St James' Settlement has been granted $2 million in matching grants under the fund.
"Moreover, the Government has allocated $100 million to implement five short-term food assistance service projects over the territory to cater for the needs of unemployed persons, low-income groups, new arrivals, street sleepers, as well as individuals or families in need. It is expected that each non-governmental organisation (NGO) in charge of the five service projects will be allocated $12 million to provide food assistance to 10,000 persons for a maximum of six weeks. In other words, at least 50,000 persons will benefit," he said.
Mr Cheung noted that while $60 million would go to the operation of the service projects, including expenses for staff salaries, administration and food, a maximum of $2.5 million would also be allocated to individual NGOs to meet the one-off set up cost. The balance will be reserved for future service needs.
"We will closely monitor the service demand with the operating NGOs and expand the service if necessary," Mr Cheung said.
St James' Settlement is one of the five NGOs selected to operate the short-term food assistance service covering the areas of Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong Island and outlying islands.
Ends/Saturday, February 14, 2009
Issued at HKT 11:00
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