A heartwarming story has emerged from Myeong-dong in Seoul's Jung-gu.
On July 16, the Daughters of Charity of St. Paul of Chartres in Myeong-dong pooled their high-energy-cost relief funds to purchase 8.21 million won ($5,600) worth of daily essential goods sets and delivered them to the Myeong-dong Community Center.
The donation marks the second time the sisters have channeled government support payments into community giving. Last year, they donated groceries purchased with livelihood-recovery consumption coupons; this year, rather than spending their high-energy-cost relief funds personally, they directed the money toward neighbors in need.
The gesture grew out of a relationship the sisters have built with the Myeong-dong Community Center. For the second year running, center staff visited the convent in person to help more than 150 elderly sisters apply for and receive their support payments. Moved by that consideration, the sisters again resolved to share what they had received with their neighbors — using the funds to buy 11 types of daily necessities, including cooling pads, groceries and nutritional beverages, which were delivered to the community center that day.
The Myeong-dong Community Center and the local social welfare council plan to visit 50 low-income households to check on residents and hand-deliver the packages.
Jung-gu district mayor Kim Gil-sung said he expected the donation to provide meaningful relief to residents struggling with the summer heat and rising prices. "We are deeply grateful for the sisters' generosity," he said. "Jung-gu will continue to look after residents in need with greater care and work to spread warmth throughout our community."
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