Hadong-gun, Hapcheon-gun selected for 'Onmaul Dolbom Bapsang' meal care program

South Gyeongsang Province announced Thursday that Hadong-gun and Hapcheon-gun have been selected for the Ministry of Interior and Safety's "Onmaul Dolbom Bapsang," or "whole-village care meal," competitive grant program, securing 120 million won (about $78,800) in special tax grants. The province will run a village-level meal care project in both counties for three years starting this month.

The Onmaul Dolbom Bapsang program uses shared kitchens as community hubs to provide meals to vulnerable residents while linking welfare checks and health management into an integrated nutrition and welfare care service.

Under the grant allocations, Hadong-gun will receive 40 million won and Hapcheon-gun 80 million won. The national funds will go toward building and renovating shared kitchen facilities, while each county will cover operating costs — including ingredients, cooking and delivery — from its own budget.

Of the 89 population-decline areas designated nationwide by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, 11 are in South Gyeongsang Province. More than 40 local governments across the country applied for the grant, and Hadong-gun and Hapcheon-gun were the two from South Gyeongsang selected.

The program aims to go beyond simple meal provision by building a community-embedded care network in which local residents actively participate in monitoring the health and living conditions of vulnerable neighbors.

Hadong-gun will center its program on Hwagae-myeon. Resident autonomy councils, the saemaul women's association and the local community welfare council will work together to convert existing facilities into shared kitchens and provide meals and welfare check services to 45 low-income elderly and vulnerable residents.

Hapcheon-gun will operate the program across three townships — Hapcheon-eup, Yaro-myeon and Cheongdeok-myeon — establishing three shared kitchens where Red Cross volunteer groups and others will prepare banchan and deliver it to vulnerable households. When at-risk families are identified during care visits, the program will connect them with welfare counseling and case management support.

South Gyeongsang Province said the initiative carries significance beyond meal support, as it helps build a resident-driven local care network. The province particularly expects it to help close welfare gaps and restore community bonds in rural areas hit hard by aging populations and population decline.

"We are focused on establishing a sustainable operating structure that will continue even after the program ends," a provincial official said. "We will build a tight-knit rural care network through a public-private partnership model in which residents lead and the government provides support."