Gwangju City and Public Institutions Collect Spare Change from Salaries to Support Low-Income Households

Over 750 Employees Participate, Raising 21 Million KRW
Consolation Funds of 100,000 KRW Delivered to 210 Families

Employees of Gwangju City and local public institutions have collectively gathered the small change from their salaries, raising 21 million KRW in donations, which they delivered to the Gwangju Community Chest of Korea.

On the 23rd, Gwangju City announced that city hall officials and executives and staff from seven local public institutions had collected 21 million KRW through small change salary donations, which will be provided as "Lunar New Year holiday consolation funds" to 210 low-income single-parent families.

This fundraising effort included participation from Gwangju City officials, firefighters, and a total of about 750 executives and employees from seven local public institutions: Gwangju Future Automotive Mobility Promotion Institute, Gwangju Welfare Research Institute, Gwangju Credit Guarantee Foundation, Gwangju Women's Family Foundation, Gwangju Traffic Culture Training Institute, Honam Institute of Korean Studies, and Gwangju Tourism Organization.

The donations will be distributed to local low-income single-parent families through the Gwangju Community Chest of Korea. The recipients are single-parent families with an income at or below 63% of the median income. Priority will be given to families with disabilities, illnesses, or multiple children, selected based on recommendations from local districts.

Since 2020, the city has been promoting the "Small Change Salary Sharing Project." Over the past three years, by collecting a portion of monthly salaries (less than 10,000 KRW, less than 1,000 KRW, or a fixed amount), they have provided about 97 million KRW in support to over 820 people from low-income and marginalized groups and self-reliant youth. The city plans to promote and guide more local public institutions to participate in this culture of sharing.

Park Yunwon, Director of the Department of Autonomous Administration, said, "It is rewarding to see that these small acts of sharing come together to deliver warmth where it is needed," and added, "Public officials will take the lead in realizing the spirit of sharing that defines Gwangju."

Meanwhile, every year during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, Gwangju City provides holiday consolation funds to about 300 low-income single-parent families and to 17 facilities, including single-parent family welfare centers and shelters for women victims of violence. This Lunar New Year, the city will support 309 low-income single-parent families and 17 facilities with holiday consolation funds.

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