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Taiwanese Charity Faces Shortfall After Presidential Budget Cuts Affect Mid-Autumn Festival Orders

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Legislators cut presidential funds, causing the cancellation of 15,000 mid-Autumn festival gift boxes ordered from 37 sheltered workshops and disability groups.
  • The Keelung Association for the Welfare of the Deaf and Dumb's order of over NT$110,000 was initially affected, but a corporate donation and subsequent orders have helped bridge the gap.
  • Despite receiving support, the association still needs to meet nearly 20% of its mid-Autumn festival sales target and seeks continued public support.

The Keelung Association for the Welfare of the Deaf and Dumb is appealing for public support after a significant portion of its mid-Autumn festival gift box orders were canceled due to political budget cuts. Legislators from the Blue and White parties jointly reduced and froze the presidential office's discretionary funds, leading to the cancellation of 15,000 gift boxes previously ordered from 37 sheltered workshops and disability groups across Taiwan.

The presidential office's discretionary funds were deleted, causing the Keelung Association for the Welfare of the Deaf and Dumb's "Lisheng Meitao" mid-Autumn festival gift boxes to be abandoned.

— Liberty TimesReporting on the impact of budget cuts on the association's orders.

The association's "Lisheng Meitao" brand, known for its pineapple cakes, was set to receive an order worth over NT$110,000 from the presidential office. The cancellation created an immediate financial shortfall. Fortunately, a company from Hsinchu, introduced by Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidential Office Ho Chih-wei, stepped in to order 100,000 gift boxes, alleviating the most urgent need.

Further assistance came from the office of Keelung City Councilor, which facilitated orders from friends and colleagues. The Keelung City Government's Department of Social Affairs also held a press conference to encourage the public to purchase gift boxes from local social welfare groups. While these efforts have provided a significant boost and encouragement, the association still needs to fulfill nearly 20% of its mid-Autumn festival sales target.

Fortunately, Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidential Office Ho Chih-wei introduced a Hsinchu-based enterprise to order 100,000 mid-Autumn festival gift boxes, resolving the urgent need.

— Chen Li-chinExplaining how an initial corporate order helped the association.

Individuals interested in supporting the association can place orders by contacting Ms. Chen during business hours at (02) 2429-1433. The "Lisheng Meitao" brand offers pineapple cakes priced at NT$360 for an 8-piece box, prepared with carefully selected ingredients.

Recently, public support has poured in, and the shortfall of over NT$110,000 in canceled orders has been filled, but we are still nearly 20% short of our mid-Autumn festival target. We hope the public will continue to support us.

— Keelung Association for the Welfare of the Deaf and DumbAppealing for continued public support to meet sales goals.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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