Horse owners deliver holiday gift packages to neighbors in need
The Seoul Horse Owners Association held a community sharing event ahead of chuseok to support marginalized residents in the area.
The association announced Thursday that it co-hosted the "Sharing Lucky Festival" at Goeuntang Village in Gunpo on Wednesday, together with the Gunpo Gaya Community Welfare Center and the Community Chest of Korea.
The event was attended by Seoul Horse Owners Association President Jo Yong-hak, public relations committee chair Jo Geon-jin, board members Jo Byeong-tae and Hong Jong-un, Gunpo Gaya Community Welfare Center Director Lee Eun-a, and about 200 local residents.
Food trucks and activity booths were set up in the courtyard in front of the welfare center. Performances included a traditional arts show by the Hansori Arts Troupe and a folk percussion performance by the Gunpo Lake Pungmul Arts Troupe.
The association donated 5 million won ($3,650) to the Gunpo Gaya Community Welfare Center for use on behalf of residents in need. It also delivered chuseok gift packages to families in crisis and gave racehorse dolls to local children. After the event, association executives personally visited elderly residents living alone to deliver chuseok gifts.
The event was held in a neighborhood with a high concentration of single-person households and elderly residents living alone. The name Goeuntang Village was chosen by residents through a public contest in 2016 to mean "a village of people with beautiful hearts," an effort to shed the negative image associated with permanent public rental housing complexes.
"Through this sharing event, I hope we can build social networks for our marginalized neighbors and foster a culture of giving that helps identify those who fall through the cracks of the welfare system," President Jo Yong-hak said. "We will continue to practice ongoing acts of sharing for those who are left behind."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
