Orphanage Club Raises Awareness for Global Hunger

By Chloe L. ('24), Upper School Student

Poverty is the leading cause of hunger in the world. Without financial resources, people are vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition. 

The TAS Orphanage Club (OC) aims to raise awareness about global hunger and encourage everyone to limit food waste during our bi-annual Hunger Week event, where we set up donation booths and give Hunger Lessons to the Lower School.

This semester’s Hunger Week began on November 15th, where OC chairpersons visited 20 homerooms to discuss the issue of global hunger and food waste with Lower School students. We emphasized throughout the curriculum that hunger exists everywhere in the world. After hearing our school's students waste up to 15 tons of food every year, lower school students were eager to help make a difference and do their part to reduce this number.

An easy way to make an impact is by donating to organizations that help those suffering from hunger. OC sets up booths every semester to collect donations, which are then sent to Oxfam America, World Vision Taiwan, and the American Friends Service Committee. 

On November 23rd, students, faculty, and staff stopped by our donation booth set up outside the lobby as early as 6:30 am to donate. Our satellite booth underneath the Skybridge also received contributions from Upper School students and faculty throughout the day.

Additionally, OC collaborated with the Alumni Office to hold a food drive. This year is the second consecutive year the OC and the TAS Alumni Office have worked together to organize a food drive for essential items for the Taitung City Food Bank  (台東幸福食物銀行). The Taitung Food bank is a member of the Taiwan Family Association (社團法人台灣安心家庭關懷協會), a social welfare organization whose mission is to support families in need. The food bank is always in need of essential food goods such as milk powder, instant noodles, and canned goods. The food bank puts together a box of essential items every month to send to families in the area who need extra support.  It serves over 240 families, including many elderly or single-parent households. 

This year, our alumni from classes ranging from 1968 to 2015 donated a total of over 175kg of essential food items and over NT$30,000 to support the Taitung City Food Bank! On behalf of the Taitung City Food Bank, the TAS Orphanage Club, and the Alumni Office, we thank our alumni for their generosity and support for this year’s OC Hunger Day Donation Drive. A special thanks to Edward Wang ‘99 who organized a large group donation from the NTU Global MBA Alumni Association. 

Overall, this fall's Hunger Week was a success with over 90,000 NTD donated by the TAS community. Thank you to everyone who gave generously and worked to make a difference in the lives of many.