Nowon-gu Launches 2021 Hope Ondol Warm Winter Campaign in Full Swing

Applications accepted until February 15 next year, fundraising goal of 2.3 billion won this year... Contactless 'QR Code Donation' via smartphone available starting this year

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is actively promoting the '2021 Hope Ondol Warm Winter Project' to help the underprivileged and neighbors in need within the district.

The 'Warm Winter Project,' jointly conducted every year by the district and the Community Chest of Korea, is a public-private cooperative fundraising campaign aimed at spreading a culture of sharing and donation.

The application period is until February 15 next year, with this year's target amount set at 2.3 billion KRW, a 5% increase compared to last year's fundraising amount.

Individuals, organizations, and companies wishing to participate in donations can inquire at the Nowon-gu Office Welfare Policy Division or the community service centers in each dong.

Donations can be made by transferring funds to the official Nowon-gu account (Woori Bank 015-176590-13-522, Account Holder: Community Chest of Korea Seoul Branch), and goods donations are accepted at the 19 dong community service centers.

Notably, this year, 'QR code donations' via smartphones have also become available. Considering the difficulty of face-to-face fundraising due to COVID-19, donors can easily participate by scanning the QR code without the need for separate paperwork.

There are also benefits for donors. Ten percent of the donated goods' value is credited as mileage points usable at 278 Nowon local currency affiliated stores such as cafes and bookstores.

Additionally, donors can receive tax credit benefits under the Income Tax Act.

The donations and goods collected from residents are used to support vulnerable groups in the region, including social welfare facilities, basic livelihood security recipients, persons with disabilities, and children suffering from food insecurity.

Meanwhile, in the last '2020 Hope Ondol Warm Winter' fundraising campaign, the district raised a total of 2.17983 billion KRW, including 686.94 million KRW in cash donations and 1.49288 billion KRW in goods donations, achieving the highest fundraising amount since the project's inception. The collected funds have so far been used for living expenses, medical expenses, housing costs, and education expenses for low-income residents amounting to about 320 million KRW, about 120 million KRW for youth savings accounts such as the Youth Account, Hope Double Account, and Dream Narae Account projects, and about 3 million KRW for emergency relief expenses.

District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "This year, due to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, the spread of a culture of sharing is even more necessary," and added, "I ask for the residents' great interest and participation so that neighbors in difficulty can have hope."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.