Giving goods, giving dignity – Community food bank opens up for business

Taiwan’s first community-based food bank, Nanjichang Food Bank was founded by devoted and industrious chief of village Fang He-sheng (方荷生). With a high proportion of disadvantaged groups in the community, the food bank helps relieve the burden on many low-income households, bringing a glimmer of light to life. Fang He-sheng said that after a year of planning and fundraising in 2012, the project managed to raise NT$2 million. With the addition of various commodities and daily necessities donated from charities, in 2013 Nanjichang Food Bank was born, and expanded into the “Livelihood Bank”. 

Unlike other one-way ‘giving’ organizations, Fang He-sheng has introduced the concept of ‘community currency’, in which every member is supplied with a ‘bank book’ and 500 points to obtain goods each month. The food bank currently serves about one hundred and fifty local residents. 

Giving goods, giving dignity – Community food bank opens up for business
URL：https://www.peopo.org/news/311347 

(以下是中文對照)

給物資也給尊嚴 食物銀行社區化經營
 

照片

台灣第一個社區型食物銀行─南機場幸福食物銀行，由忠勤里里長方荷生一手創建，在弱勢族群比例居高不下的社區內，替三百多戶中低收戶解決生活困境，點起微光。方荷生說，從二〇一二年開始，經過一年多的募資、計畫，終於在二〇一三年募到兩百萬建立南機場的食物銀行，匯集從其他慈善機構所捐贈的日用品、生活用品，食物銀行也成為「實物銀行」。
有別於單向「發放」的團體，方荷生引入「社區貨幣」的概念，讓加入的每一位會員擁有一本「存摺」，每個月發放五百點供會員換取物資，目前已經服務近一百五十名里民。