—— 记2022华府青年首届食品募捐活动
新冠疫情席卷全球已近三年。尽管蒙郡属于全美富庶之郡，疫情期间许多家庭仍然入不敷出。随着今秋联邦政府终止免费学校午餐项目，需要帮助的家庭愈发雪上加霜。为了帮助社区弱势群体，华府青年于今年9月中旬至10月中旬组织了首期食品募捐活动。
本期活动由华府青年小义工Ryan Xiong领导，Emily Chen和Brian Chen协助领导下进行,还有十位CYOC小义工(Ethan Chen, Alexander Qiu, Jiajing Zheng, Alina Fang, Alexander Yu, Walter Brobson, Sean Zhang, Melody Zhou, Jennifer Zhang, Jeffrey Zhang)参与了活动。Ryan从9月中旬开始策划活动开展方式、撰写活动中英文通知并设计活动展板传单。经过与蒙郡Manna Food Center、Giant、New York Mart和Rockville家园老人中心等多家单位联络沟通，本期食品捐赠活动于9月下旬在家园老人中心设立捐赠箱。从10月1日到10月15日周末的5天，华府青年小义工们风雨无阻地出现在Kentlands 的Giant 超市与Rockville 的New York Mart 超市门口募捐食品。募捐食品类别包括Manna Food Center所需的大米、意大利面条、袋装速食燕麦、罐装鱼肉等无需冷藏食品。孩子们用一声声热情的“早上好”、“下午好”迎接每一位进店的顾客，又用一声声稚嫩的“祝您拥有美好的一天”欢送每一位离开的顾客， 无论他们捐赠与否。看着写有“Food Driver by CYOC” 字样的展板，许多顾客进店之前驻足索要食品捐赠传单，走出超市的时候递给小义工们他们所捐赠的食物。有的顾客走出超市才发现小义工们在募捐，于是慷慨解囊捐赠现金。华府青年小义工们在家长陪同下用这些现金购买无需冷藏食品。许多顾客对华府青年小义工们由衷地竖起大拇指，赞扬他们的爱心奉献行为！看着募捐食品一点点地堆积起来，小义工们笑逐颜开，募捐劲头越来越足。仅仅10月1日与10月2日两天的时间，小义工们就募捐了包括家园捐赠箱里共453件食品。 这些食物需要至少两辆SUV才能装下。由于当时天气潮湿，首批食品由小义工们于10月5日以华府青年 (CYOC) 名义送捐到Manna Food Center，共计636 磅。
通过与Kentlands的Giant 超市协调沟通，小义工们将10月8日所募捐的76件包装食品在整理登记后直接放在了Giant超市给Manna Food Center 的捐赠盒里。10月9日与10月15日两天，小义工们再次募捐到427件食品。第二批食品由小义工们于10月24日送捐到Manna Food Center，共计437 磅。
本期华府青年食品募捐活动共收到956件食品，除去放在Giant捐助盒里的76件食品，共计1073 磅。许多小义工还自制了卡片，写了鼓励人们走出困境的话语，并交给Manna工作人员转交需要帮助的人们。这期活动不仅有效地帮助Manna Food Center充盈社区食品库存，服务援助弱势群体， 而且有助于培养华府青年立足华人社区，服务不同族裔的奉献精神。
华府青年本期食品募捐活动得到家园老人中心何晓慧园长；Kentlands的 Giant 以及Rockville 的 New York Mart 两位店长的鼎力支持！我们这次活动也离不开义工家长们的大力帮助。Catherine Liu博士全程密切指导，并且帮助联系愿意和CYOC配合的商家。Xiaoyan Yin, Weichi Xiong, Tian Liang, Zongyu Zheng, Weiliang Chen 和 Xinrong Chen等家长帮助购买和运送食物以及打印宣传资料。这个活动也得到大专联现任会长吕萍博士、前任会长李民博士；华府青年督导陈涛博士的支持。在此华府青年对大家的支持和所有捐赠食品的人们表示诚挚的谢意！
华府青年是一个大专联旗下，由大华府地区青年义工组成并自我管理的社团。成立的宗旨是为了让华府青年义工有一个平台了解社会、服务社会并不断成长。成立四年以来，华府青年已经为多项社区大型活动提供支持。包括每年亚裔新年晚会，”友谊杯“”运动会等、我们也自己组织美国传统的Clothing Drive, Food Drive 等。华府青年目前在华府地区的社团中影响日益俱增。我们希望越来越多的年轻家长和小义工们能够加入华府青年这个大家庭和平台，让华府青年们更好地了解社会服务社会并不断成长。
英文供稿：Ryan Xiong
中文供稿：Catherine Liu
10月5日首次送捐Manna。左起Catherine Liu, Xiaoyan Yin, Tao Chen, Ping Lu, Ryan Xiong, Brian Chen, Ethan Chen, Jiajing Zheng, Emily Chen, Walter Brobson, Alina Fang, Sean Zhang, Zongyu Zheng。
10月24日第二次送捐Manna。左起Tian Liang, Ping Lu, Catherine Liu, Ryan Xiong, Jeffrey Zhang, Jennifer Zhang, Jia Yu, Melody Zhou。
CYOC 志愿者在Kentlands Giant 募捐食品。左起Jeffrey Zhang, Jennifer Zhang, Ryan Xiong.
CYOC 志愿者在Kentlands Giant 募捐食品。左起Sean Zhang, Alexander Yu, Jiajing Zheng, Ryan Xiong, Catherine Liu.
CYOC 志愿者在New York Mart 募捐食品。左起Melody Zhou, Brian Chen, Alexander Qiu.
CYOC 志愿者在Manna Food Center 送捐食品。左起Ryan Xiong, Jiajing Zheng, Alina Fang.
CYOC 志愿者在Manna Food Center 送捐食品。左起Emily Chen, Jiajing Zheng, Alina Fang, Ethan Chen.
CYOC 志愿者在New York Mart 募捐食品。左起Walter Brobson, Emily Chen.
2022 Food Drive by Capital Youth Outreach Club
by Ryan Xiong
Though Montgomery County (MoCo) is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, many families suffer from the COVID-19 pandemic and are struggling to make ends meet. The federal government has put an end to the free school lunch program this September. In order to help MoCo families in need, Capital Youth Outreach Club (CYOC) initiated the 1stfood drive between Mid-September and Mid-October, 2022.
Ryan Xiong, a 14-year-old CYOC member, led this food drive effort to enrich the food supply from the Manna Food Center. Emily Chen and Brian Chen were the coleaders. In addition, we have other 10 CYOC members (Ethan Chen, Alexander Qiu, Jiajing Zheng, Alina Fang, Alexander Yu, Walter Brobson, Sean Zhang, Melody Zhou, Jennifer Zhang, Jeffrey Zhang) contributing to the drive.
Since Mid-September, Ryan has been planning this session of food drive. With the help of his parents, he prepared the announcement in both Chinese and English and designed the posters and the flyer. With the kind permission from Aplus Adult Medical Day Care Center in Rockville, he set up a drop-off donation box in the center at the end of September. After discussion with the Manna Food Center, Giant Food at Kentlands, and New York Mart in Rockville, CYOC youth volunteers showed up every weekend day from October 1stto 15th in front of the supermarkets to collect donations from grocery shoppers, regardless of the stormy and cold weather. They greeted heartedly to people with “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” and said “Have a nice day” with a smile to people who left the supermarkets. Many people asked for the food drive flyer, passed their donations to the CYOC volunteers, and praised the food drive effort. Some shoppers did not notice the food drive until they stepped out of the supermarkets, and donated cash instead. The CYOC volunteers then spent the donated cash accompanied by their parents to buy the food items highly needed by the Manna Food Center, including rice, pasta, bagged oatmeal, canned meat and fish. After the donated food items had piled up one by one, the CYOC volunteers were also cheered up and worked harder for the food drive.
On October 1st and 2nd, CYOC volunteers have donated and collected 453 packs of food. The collected food needed two SUVs to deliver to the Manna Food Center on October 5thwith the help from the parents of the CYOC volunteers. The food weighed 636 pounds and was donated under the name of CYOC.
On October 15th, CYOC volunteers collected 76 packs of food and dropped the donation at the Kentlands Giant donation box to the Manna Food Center. On October 9th and 15th, CYOC volunteers collected 427 packs of food. The second delivery of the collected food to the Manna Food Center was done on October 24th. This round of the collected food weighed 437 pounds.
As a result, 956 packs of food were collected during the 1stCYOC food drive, weighing a total of 1073 pounds without the food dropped at the Kentlands Giant donation box being counted. What an achievement! Several CYOC volunteers also prepared cards with encouraging words. We wish all these families in need a very happy thanksgiving. . This food drive has effectively helped to enrich the food supply by the Manna Food Center. It also helped CYOC volunteers to learn and grow while serving the community.
We would also like to thank all parents. Dr. Catherine Liu coordinated with the two supermarkets, Manna Food Center and Aplus Adult Care Center and helped the whole food drive team throughout the entire project. Xiaoyan Yin, Weichi Xiong, Tian Liang, Zongyu Zheng and Weiliang Chen helped with purchasing and delivering the food; Xinrong Chen and Weichi Xiong printed all flyers.. We very much appreciate their time and contribution.
This session of food drive was kindly supported by the store managers of the Giant Food at Kentlands and the New York Mart in Rockville, and thechief of the Aplus Adult Medical Day Care Center, Ms. Xiaohui He. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for their permission! We would also like to thank all food drive participants! Without them, it is impossible for this food drive to have succeeded.
CYOC is a student-led club under Chinese Alumni Associations of Greater Washington (CAAGW). It is a platform for youth volunteers to serve the community and grow while performing the community service. Up to now, CYOC has supported many community events and organized their own impactful events, such as clothing drive, food drive and developed free summer programs in math, coding, debate, and tennis. It has become a volunteer club with broad and deep impact in the Washington DC metropolitan area. We would like to have more youth volunteers to join CYOC.