End Hunger - Build a Hunger-free Network

"Fortunately, supplies came in!" Xiaohui, a single mother who lives in the remote area tightly grips the hands of The Mustard Seed Mission Food Bank’s worker, expressing gratitude for this timely assistance.

In remote indigenous tribes, residents and elderly people rely mostly on local grocery stores or mobile shop vans for their daily necessities. Unfortunately, if there is a shortage or inadequate delivery of goods, they have to struggle with limited resources. Going down the mountain to purchase items is an additional financial burden for them. Even if they have the means to go to the city to buy things, a single trip takes at least two to three hours.

Xiaohui, from a disadvantaged family in the indigenous tribe, raised her two young children independently, in order to take care of her children wholeheartedly, she works hard and takes on odd jobs to make a living. Recently, during a consecutive holiday period, the logistics services of many businesses were temporarily suspended. She ran all over the surrounding stores at home and could not buy diapers, milk powder, and other children's necessities... 

She panicked and urgently sought assistance from a local church that collaborates with the Mustard Seed Mission. Immediately, the Food Bank Van delivered the supplies to the indigenous tribe and visited her home to assess the needs of her children, so that care and support are not diminished by distance.

On September 18th, 2022 in response to the 6.8 magnitude earthquake in the Hualien-Taitung area, the staff at the Mustard Seed Mission immediately contacted community partners for disaster response on the same day and send the supplies from the food bank to the affected areas in Hualien and Taitung.

Our community workers are divided into two teams and went to YuLi, GaoLiao, ZhuoXi in Hualien County, and HaiDuan in Taitung County to deliver the needed supplies to families and tribes in the affected areas. They also checked on the families' conditions, reminded them to prepare for aftershocks, and helped to rearrange furniture to make their homes safer.

Since the establishment of The Mustard Seed Mission Food Bank, islandwide, we have launched a total of eight food distribution stations. Through the goods and material donations from the public and various industries, our spirit of "no food waste" and “treasure every piece of food” is carried on over our social service. Thanks to this strong belief, we have delivered goods and materials to many families in need.

The service scope of each goods and material distribution station across up to four counties and cities. In addition to serving the disadvantaged families near the station, we also look forward to sending the donated goods and materials to those needy families living in remote areas. Therefore, this year, we launched disaster prevention and relief operation program, that is the food bank truck. These donated goods and materials represent lots of love from our society, we bring them to visit remote towns around the central Taiwan.

This dedicated food bank bus under disaster prevention and relief program have been traveling all over central Taiwan including Yunlin, Nantou, Changhua, Taichung and many other places. When the local partners learned about our plan about of distribution station, they are very happy and deeply thankful of such thoughtful arrangement. They are very grateful that The Mustard Seed Mission is devoted to take care of the communities and families in remote areas. We set up mobile distribution station at parking lots or any available open space in each community. Furthermore, we invite community partners to come and deliver supplies to each household in need. This new initiative allows us to be even closer to the community's services and respond quickly to local needs. Ultimately, the community turns out to become an effective partner to carry on the spirit of love relay. Thanks to such seamless team work, disadvantaged families in remote communities is able to timely receive the community's support and the warm-hearted caring love from all walks of life. 

This distribution action plan is not only the delivery of goods and materials, but also a process of relay of love and warmth. We hope that this "action of love" will continue with interruptions.

The Mustard Seed Community Food Bank emphasizes that "food is not wasted, and the community loves to share." Hualien's first "community sharing refrigerator" was available on January 28 this year. The Zhen Guan Church of Xincheng Township serves as the community's common good service base. Zhen Guan Church connects the caring shops and neighbors who are willing to donate steamed buns, bread, fruits and vegetables, etc., to help people in need in the community.  This is also a great way to promote the concept of sharing, moreover, to care for the neighborhood, making the community a warm place.

In 2017, the Mustard Seed Mission (MSM) was promoting the establishment of a community food bank with the concept of "no food wasted and build a hunger-free community network".  Subsequently, MSM gave the brith of community food bank, aiming to undertake the food originally to be discarded and turn it into the needs of others.

Pastor Qiulan Chang, who initiated the Community Refrigerator, shared the story. There are many older Aboriginal widows living alone in Kerry Village. Their children are working away from hometown. These women are financially difficult with shortage of daily supplies. Pastor Chang recalled to learn on one of the TV programs talking about the idea of community refrigerators. She was thinking that since others can do it, we should do it too!  Seeing many needy families in the community, Pastor Chang believes the church should play part to respond the needs and quickly contacted the Mustard Seed Mission for the setup of community refrigerator.

With the help of the community's good refrigerator, Pastor Lu Acai, the husband of Pastor Chang, further devoted in community service.  Pastor Lu Acai, from Ami tribe, was once a recipient of the Mustard Seed Mission. Together they serve the Kerry villagers, to help more neighbors in need.   Through such initiatives, they hope the people here are able to meet the basic needs of life.

The collection of materials in Hualien area is not easy. The community's good refrigerators were successfully launched and received answers from three local caring stores. During this period, there were more inquiries and participation from the community. We hope that more local forces will support the "Hunger Free Community Network," and  the idea of "Not wasting food".  We encourage more people to join the ranks of caring.