A Rotaract volunteer informs a supermarket customer about the food-raising event.[Photo/China Daily]

High school students and nonprofit volunteers ask supermarket customers to donate food to orphans

It was an intriguing spectacle for shoppers at Carrefour's Fangzhuang branch last Saturday morning: teams of international and Chinese volunteers clustered at the entrance and exit, handing out flyers and asking shoppers to buy extra food.

The volunteers were arranged by Rotaract - a nonprofit organization that arranges community service activities and volunteer projects around the city - and Beijing No 4 High School.

Together, they were urging Carrefour customers to donate non-perishable food to a Beijing-based orphanage called Guang Ai.

Guang Ai orphanage is located in Beijing's Tongzhou district and was set up single-handedly by the inspiring Shi Qinghua, a native of Anhui province. He established Guang Ai using his own funds, as an orphanage and school for abandoned children.

In 2004, the orphanage had seven children and that number now stands at over 100. Shi, who together with his wife and son was once homeless, is no stranger to the difficulties that homeless children face.

"I believe that with education, community and a little love, these children stand to have a more positive future," he said, when speaking at a Rotaract meeting.

The biggest challenge his orphanage faces is being able to feed the children adequately.

The orphanage occasionally has charitable individuals deliver food, but this is not something the orphanage can rely on.

Therefore, Rotaract decided to hold a food drive for Guang Ai and ask shoppers to donate food to help the orphanage get through the winter months.

Rotaract and Guang Ai have developed a close relationship over the past year and held a Halloween party for the children recently.

"We were specially moved by the founder's story when we first met him, as he was once homeless himself," said Kevin Lee, when speaking about why Guang Ai has become an important beneficiary of Rotaract members' good will.

"We've also been to the orphanage; we've met the children and seen the condition they live in. We know Guang Ai is doing good things."

Rotaract members said they hoped to continue to do more for the children at Guang Ai and plan to hold a clothing drive.

Saturday's event was rolled out across three stores in Beijing.

The volunteers wore T-shirts bearing both the Rotaract and Carrefour logo, and handed out flyers suggesting customers to buy non-perishable food items like rice, dried noodles and preserved meat.

The volunteers from Beijing No 4 High School were enthusiastic and creative in promoting the event in the store and essential for explaining the cause to Chinese shoppers.

"I really like volunteering. I feel like I'm helping society and also developing good social skills," said high school volunteer Men Nalisha, before leaping back into action with a stack of information leaflets.

Except for the occasional confused customer asking volunteers where the nearest bathroom was, the response was overwhelming.

By the end of the day, the Fangzhuang branch had received 327 units of food, which included 5-kilogram bags of rice, cooking oil and bags of preserved meat.

Thirty-five trolleys' worth of food was donated from the three stores (plus 1,579 yuan in donations that was used to buy more food), filling up two minivans.

The amount of food received surpassed initial expectation and all the volunteers were impressed by the response and how a little charity can go a long way.

For more information, please log on to rotaractbeijing.org.

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