I’m delighted that my daughter joined me to the event - I hoped she’d understand the meaning of community care through these volunteer activities.
Last December, Maxim’s Group initiated ‘Care Ambassador Months’, offering help to communities and people in the midst of a cold winter.
In just two months 16 volunteer activities were held, involving the participation over 390 volunteers. With support from corporate and NGO partners, the events accumulated over 1,000 voluntary hours and serviced 5,200 beneficiaries. Green elements were incorporated into all these activities, which took place in settings ranging from urban to countryside.
Among the many activities during Care Ambassador Months was a new ‘Green Hero Challenge’ launched by Maxim’s Group in collaboration with The Green Earth. Our ambassadors cleared rubbish from 16.5 km of trails whilst enjoying the beautiful natural scenery, with every step carrying a ‘clean mountain’ message. Among the participants were beneficiary kids and families from the Kiddy Heart Canteen - another campaign supported by the Group - which made this outdoor activity a truly meaningful and blissful time.
The Group also partnered with The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups to host a Mooncake Boxes Upcycling Workshop, upcycling mooncake boxes into 100 Chinese New Year candy boxes. With help from the Jade Club, the boxes were delivered to elderly patrons of the Silver Hair Kitchen on Chinese New Year's Eve, sending a message of love while reducing waste.
The Group’s motto ‘Save Food and Help’ continued to be instilled during Christmas and Chinese New Year with added purpose. Donations of cookies and Chinese sausages were made to Feeding Hong Kong, the Foodlink Foundation and Food Grace. Ambassadors packed 4,000 food wise gifts for grassroots and underprivileged communities. Ambassador Fanny Hung expressed how happy she was to participate with her daughter and hoped she would understand the meaning of volunteer activities and community care at a young age. Another ambassador, Irene Liu, shared her hopes that their deeds would help the vulnerable: "Especially during the cold weather, I hope the kids, elderly and others in need will be contented when they received the donation; I wish them all good health.”
Large-scale activities of ‘Love Bread Program’ and ‘Walk for Millions’ were held during the period. The former event captured participation from Maxim’s Group Ambassadors as well as corporate partners including Gammon Construction, Hongkong Land, Jardine Matheson, Jardine Aviation Services Group, The Jardine Engineering Corporation Limited, Schindler Group, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Zung Fu, bringing new momentum to a decade-long mission. Meanwhile, two ‘Love Bread Days’ collected nearly 1,200 bakery items, benefitting to the New Home Association, People Service Centre and other food banks. The activity both brought nutrition to those in need and reduced food waste.
The true meaning of volunteer work was again demonstrated when our ambassadors joined in the Walks for Millions event, a 10km walk from Hong Kong Stadium to the Aberdeen Country Park. Maxim’s Group also made donations in support of The Community Chest and child welfare services to act in the spirit of ‘Cherish Food Help The Needy’, extending a caring hand to the needy.