BPA Labor and Management Open First 'Hope Pantry' Sharing Refrigerator Location

Busan Port Authority (BPA) labor and management and the Dongsam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center in Yeongdo-gu, Busan, opened the first 'BPA Hope Pantry' sharing refrigerator for vulnerable groups in the local community on the 13th.

The BPA Hope Pantry is a food sharing project where any local resident can donate food ingredients and those in need can take them for free. It was installed with budget support from the Public Coexistence Solidarity Fund Foundation.

About 40 people attended the opening ceremony, including BPA President Kang Jun-seok, BPA Labor Union Chairman Park Shin-ho, Public Coexistence Solidarity Fund Chairman Lee Byung-hoon, Yeongdo-gu Office Chief Kim Ki-jae, and local residents.

The sharing refrigerator installed in a small space at the Dongsam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center operates every last Thursday of the month from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. To promote initial activation, cooking programs will be conducted targeting local residents and middle-aged people living alone to encourage refrigerator stocking activities.

At the opening ceremony, Jung Soo-hong, director of the Dongsam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, said, “We will gather our hearts and nurture love so that sharing can bloom where it is most needed.”

Busan Port Authority President Kang Jun-seok (second from left) and other officials are taking a group commemorative photo after the opening ceremony of BPA Hope Store No. 1.

Lee Byung-hoon, chairman of the Public Coexistence Solidarity Fund, said, “I hope this project, where various organizations have joined forces to support vulnerable groups, will serve as a catalyst for building a coexistence and solidarity network in the local community.”

BPA President Kang Jun-seok said, “I hope the Hope Pantry becomes a space where the local community takes care of neighbors in need on its own and shares warm hearts among residents.”

Park Shin-ho, chairman of the BPA Labor Union, expressed support, saying, “I hope the warm hearts of the public institution labor union will always be with the local community.”

As a company pursuing ESG, BPA labor and management plan to expand the Hope Pantry throughout the communities near Busan Port and open six additional locations within the first half of this year by utilizing small spaces in welfare centers and community service offices that are easily accessible to residents.

Along with this, efforts will be made to help the project settle by jointly discovering sponsors and operating collaboration activation programs so that the local community can take care of neighbors on its own.

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