CORE SERVICES

Food Sharing Projects

In order to raise the awareness of food waste problems and to advocate surplus food donations, two food sharing projects had been launched in Wong Tai Sin from October 2012 and Tuen Mun from April 2013 with the sponsorship of Food Sharing Fund respectively. Until April 2021, Wong Tai Sin food sharing project has funded by Environment and Conservation Fund. Riding on the success of these two, another food sharing project funded by Environment and Conservation Fund has launched from  June 2015 in Kwai Chung and Tsuen Wan District. More than 100 people were given 1kg of food per person per day in each project. The projects had established good reputation among food donors, partners and the community.

With the support from more than 45 food donors, stable supply of a wide variety of food was received. On-going collaboration with partners such as Feeding Hong Kong, Foodlink and Food Angel had been strengthened to provide consistent and stable food supply. Moreover, the Association worked closely with our partnered food sharing agents such as InterContinental Hong Kong, Circle K, Yummy House and Goodwell Property Management Limited in organizing joint events and volunteer activities for food recipients.

Whilst seeking more partners and donors to sustain our projects, we will also work inexhaustibly to raise the public awareness of food poverty in the coming years.

Cleansing Service Projects

Real life trainings in the community facilitate the integration and recovery process of our people in recovery of mental illness (PIR). Thus, the Association has collaborated closely with the government departments and private sectors for various cleansing contracts in community settings. The first collaboration was made with the Agricultural, Fisheries Department (AFD) (former Agricultural, Fisheries and Conversation Department (AFCD)) that our staff and people in recovery of mental illness provided cleansing and supporting services in Sai Kung Country Park in 1995.

Throughout the past 20 years, we are dedicated to provide the best quality services to our collaborators. In 2010, the Association has been accredited ISO 9001:2008 quality management system by the Hong Kong Quality Assurance for over 90 cleansing sites in Kwai Tsing Districts. The three-year certificate has been renewed in 2013.

Currently, we have over 260 PIRs working in 93 cleansing sites everyday.

The cleansing projects are as follows:

Government Contracts of Cleansing Service 2014-2015

Private Sector

Nikki Japanese Language School
Lane Crawford (Hong Kong) Limited

Collaboration with Corporates

UPS

With the funding support, the 2-year project "UPS Green Volunteers - From Farm to Community Project" was launched in July 2014. The aims of the project were to enhance public awareness on environmental friendly and the healthy living concepts, as well, to support the purchase of farm equipment and the food sharing project.

A Cheque Presentation Ceremony was held in on 10 July 2014. President of the UPS Foundation, Mr. Eduardo Martinez, Chairperson of Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service Subcommittee, Dr. Yu Chi Shing and Chief Executive Officer, Ms Sania Yau were invited to the ceremony. Subsequent in Oct, more than 90 UPS Volunteers participated in farming activities in New Life Farm and donated the harvested organic crops to 200 participants of food sharing projects.

China Resources Property Management Ltd

Shek Pai Wan Integrated Work Centre was invited to be the collaborative partners in "CRB Green Life 2015". The activity was held by China Resources Property Management Ltd., together with restaurants of Brim 28, the Association, Hong Kong Fair Trade Power, Christian Action and Hong Kong Yoga Coach Association. The activity aimed at promoting green living and the save the Earth messages.

Community Projects - Collaboration with Schools

To promote mental wellness and the strengths of PIRs, we collaborate with primary and secondary schools continuously to organize recovery-oriented activity for students.

Tin King Sheltered Workshop has invited primary and secondary schools to participate in woodwork workshops since 2014. In these workshops, brief introduction of sheltered workshop and mental health were provided to students. Woodwork skills trained PIRs not only introduced basic woodworking skills to students, but also to design and produce products with them. It helped to promote social inclusion and the positive /FileUpload/images of PIR were delivered to students.

Students from Toi Shan Association Primary School and Tin Shui Wai Government Secondary School were invited to join the woodwork workshops in July 2014 and August 2015. Students reflected that their understanding in sheltered workshop and mental health were enriched. Tin King Sheltered Workshop would invite more schools to participate in the woodwork workshops to promote recovery-oriented practices.

Employment Support Service

Starting the Intensive Employment Assistance Projects in 2001, the Association has been dedicated in assisting the group of unemployed in Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung. The Integrated Employment Assistance Program for Self-reliance (IEAPS) was renamed to Employment Support Services (EMSS) by Social Welfare Department since April 2020 and the Association was invited to continue the project operation in Kwai Chung district. The program aimed at assisting and encouraging the CSSA recipients to become self-reliant through providing integrated services, including counseling, work skills training, job motivation enhancement and job matching. The project also emphasized on developing work habits and enhancing the employability of recipients through encouraging them to participate volunteer work within the service period. In addition, suitable participants will be referred to Labour Department or Employee Retraining Board (ERB) for skills-enhancement training in order to find a job in open market.

Horticultural Therapy Service

Horticultural Therapy (HT) uses plants as a medium to connect people and the nature. Through active engagement with plants, visiting therapeutic landscape and making handicraft with plant materials, participants can experience the healing power from plants and are satisfied in their physical, cognitive, emotional, mental and social well-being.

The service provides:

• support for implementation and development of HT in vocational rehabilitation, residential and community services,

• venues and facilities for horticultural therapy internship and HT activities for the public in our Multi-sensory Garden and a Horticultural Therapy Activity Room in New Life Interactive Farm,

• outreach staff training, public education and direct HT service.
  

We welcome for partnership in the study of clinical application of HT to promote local HT development.

Environment and Conservation Fund Project

Food Waste Recycle Project

With the funding support by the Environment and Conservation Fund, a 2-year project "廚餘出菇大行動" was launched in October 2014. Apart from educational talks on food waste recycle, the project was expected to promote green living and reduce food waste concepts by developing a mushroom bottle that could be planted in indoor setting (e.g. home or office). Strong collaboration had been built with InterContinental hotel, wet markets in Tin Shui Wai and other organizations for regular coffee residuals and leftover food collection to produce mushroom cultivation compost.

Wellness Program for Older Adults

To capture the ageing trend and to provide holistic support to PIR, their profiles and needs of were examined. 35% of PIR in Sheltered Workshops aged over 50 and the growing trend was foreseeable. Beside the gradual deterioration in work abilities, physical health, cognitive and daily functioning, some PIR suffered from other medical diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes. Hence, more components had to be incorporated to the current vocational services. A new project Community Support Project which aimed to provide holistic care and address the changing needs of PIR and the mentally handicapped was implemented in 2013.

Funded by the Community Chest of Hong Kong, 45th Anniversary Fund through the support by HSBC, the three-year project covered the continuum from prevention, early detection of warning signs and early intervention. A total of 360 service users were targeted for the services while the priority was given to those who aged over 55 without social support. Professional staff including occupation therapists and health workers are employed to facilitate active ageing by optimizing physical, mental and social well being as well as participation of PIR.