How to Support Charities during COVID

Feeding Hong Kong

More people than ever are seeking food assistance due to increasing food prices, fewer surplus food donations and more complex logistics. Seniors are again isolated at home, homeless charities are struggling with a spike in need and shelters supporting migrant workers are overflowing. Feeding Hong Kong supports them all — and many more charities like them — so supporting their emergency response efforts goes a long way. Check their current fundraising campaigns, which sometimes feature sponsors matching all donations.

Bethune House

Bethune House is a migrant women’s refuge, and serves the hard-working migrant domestic workers who have been hit harder than most. At the height of the most recent wave, some who tested preliminary positive were locked out by their employers and left to sleep on the streets overnight in bitterly cold temperatures. Bethune provide urgent needs such as shelter and food — donations help them offer food, test kits, medical supplies, blankets, sleeping bags, personal necessities and more. HK$1000 can provide emergency assistance for 20 workers.

Refugee Union

Refugees are ordinary people trying to cope with extraordinary hardship, and the work of Refugee Union continues to support them. In Hong Kong, refugees are unable to earn money by working, and must survive on just $3200 government assistance per month, a figure unchanged in eight years. Refugee Union accepts direct donations of clothes, shoes, milk formula, diapers, kitchenware, appliances, laptops and more. Cash is always welcome too, as just $50 helps towards small essentials like personal care, baby products and transportation for a mother and child to their Sheung Wan centre.

Enrich

The priority for Enrich has long been the needs of migrant domestic workers, but since the beginning of COVID, the challenge has grown to make sure domestic workers aren’t left behind once the pandemic ends. The fifth wave has meant serious financial impacts, in addition to concerns around mental health. Enrich works to prevent domestic workers falling prey to loan sharks and scams, largely through education and counselling support in workers’ native languages, but has recently begun accepting donations for COVID care packages too.

Gingko House Love Project

Gingko House was Hong Kong's first social enterprise to hire senior citizens to work in restaurants. With multiple restaurant branches, a catering division and an organic farm, they have employed more than 3,000 seniors to date and now also support other vulnerable groups such as street sleepers and low-income families. From rice boxes to fruit, masks and sanitisers to bottled drinks, warm clothing to test kits, their range of support directly reaches those who need it most.