Hong Kong’s first community caregiver canteen pilot has distributed more than 4,000 meals since March, reached nearly 400 people considered hidden or at high risk, and assessed nearly 350 cases, the Labour and Welfare Bureau said.
The canteen uses quieter daytime hours at an integrated youth service centre to provide affordable meals and help social-welfare staff learn about people’s needs. Each meal costs HK$10. The pilot is at the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Social Service Centre - Jockey Club Integrated Service Centre in Shek Pai Wan Estate, Aberdeen.
The association’s chief executive described a woman in her 70s who, after visiting once or twice, began bringing her son, a man in his 50s with a disability. The pair seldom went out, and staff got to know the family through their visits. The chief executive said the canteen helped them meet more people, widen their social circle and feel less lonely.
The Labour and Welfare Bureau plans to ask operators of integrated youth service centres across Hong Kong whether they are willing to participate in the scheme.