Share for Good Receives Support from All Corners of Hong Kong, Café de Coral Donates 500,000 Dining Vouchers to 17 NGOs; Unicorn Prenetics, BGI Genomics Donate Antigen Test Kits to Support the Underprivileged, Over 4M Supplies Still Needed.
During the severe fifth wave of COVID-19, the underprivileged often find it difficult to gather the necessary anti-epidemic supplies due to a lack of resources. To tackle the issue, New World Development has recently launched Hong Kong’s first large-scale crowd-donation platform Share for Good. Together with its key partners Yan Chai Hospital and over 30 non-profit organisations, Share for Good is calling on the public to join its initiative by donating supplies or cash through the platform, which allows for targeted distribution of resources to those in need. In just a few days following its launch, Share for Good has already received support from a large number of individual and corporate donors, including the Hong Kong-listed restaurant and catering group Café de Coral, which has donated HK$500,000 worth of dining vouchers; Hong Kong-based unicorn Prenetics and genome research organisation BGI Genomics, which are donating rapid antigen test kits to support the underprivileged in the fight against the coronavirus.
Among the 50,000 dining vouchers - each with a HK$10 face value - Café de Coral has donated, the first lot were distributed to 10 participating non-profit organisations yesterday. They include Tai Po Baptist Church Social Service, Windshield Charitable Foundation, Hong Kong Single Parents Association, Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association, Hong Kong Christian Service, Salvation Army, Principal Chan Free Tutorial World, Direction Association for the Handicapped, St. James’ Settlement, and Hong Kong Outlying Islands Women’s Association. In addition, Share for Good has also received the first batch of anti-epidemic supplies from across Hong Kong, such as rapid antigen test kits, oximeters, face masks, protective face shields, supermarket cash vouchers, etc. These are currently being dispatched to various participating non-profit organisations, which will distribute the supplies directly to the needy at the earliest available opportunity.
Since the launch of Share for Good, the response has been overwhelming, with many generous donations from the public, different groups and corporates. These include Hong Kong-based unicorn, genetics and DNA testing company Prenetics, and genome research organisation BGI Genomics, which have each donated 10,000 sets of rapid antigen test kits to the underprivileged via Christian Family Service Centre, Hong Kong Association of Gerontology, The Salvation Army, St. James’ Settlement, Hong Kong PHAB Association, Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service, etc.
Piony Leung, Managing Director (Hong Kong) of Café de Coral Holdings Limited said, “People are having a challenging time with urgent needs of resources under the impact of the fifth wave of Covid-19. We swiftly collaborate with New World Development by offering food vouchers to NGOs via the ‘Share for Good’ platform. We believe the local community will remain under immense pressure in the near term, and we will continue to leverage our strength and resources to aid people in need, including the launch of a food assistance programme that supports and relieves the financial burdens of individuals and families.”
Joined by 34 Non-profit Organisations and Social Enterprises
As Hong Kong’s first large-scale crowd-donation platform, Share for Good seamlessly connects donors, non-profit organisations and beneficiaries online. The platform is partnering with 34 non-profit organisations and social enterprises at launch, with targeted beneficiaries that include low-income families, families living in subdivided units, the elderly living alone, young cancer patients, mentally-handicapped and disabled persons, the homeless, ethnic minorities, etc. To ensure that every penny and every supply reaches those in need, Share for Good and its key partner Yan Chai Hospital will not charge any administrative fees in the process, while the logistics fees will be shared by New World Development and Lalamove, the platform’s logistics partner.
Share for Good is an open platform that welcomes all Hong Kong individuals, groups, and private corporations. With a few simple clicks, registered donors may browse through the overall needs list on the platform or the requests from each non-profit organisation, then choose to make in-kind donations or donate cash for the bulk purchase of supplies. The current list comprises 13 items that are urgently needed at the moment, such as rapid antigen test kits, oximeters, cellular SIM cards, supermarket cash vouchers, fast food restaurant coupons, protective face shields, cooling gel sheets, etc. The list of participating organisations, as well as the needs list, will be updated as the fifth wave develops, and as the requests from the needy evolve.
We believe that no effort is ever too small and that every donation provides meaningful support to those in need. With just HK$100, an underprivileged family can receive a cooked meal during trying times like this; provide a beneficiary with a week’s supply of rapid antigen test kits; or bring a child from a grassroots family enough face masks for two months, offering the necessarily protection every day.
For more details of Share for Good platform, please visit our website: shareforgoodhk.com