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The COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected nearly all walks of life, but has also disrupted global food supply chains, spurring fears of food shortages and even leading to panic buying all over the world. The pandemic has once again drawn our attention to food resources. In fact, far before the outbreak, many tenants at Link’s fresh markets had already been advocating the notion of “waste no food” by donating edible surplus food to Food Angel to benefit underprivileged communities in Hong Kong. Some of these kind-hearted tenants at Lok Fu Market share their thoughts behind donating food.

Four Years of Food Donations: Turning Surplus Food into Delicious Meals

Since emigrating from Mainland China some 30 years ago, fruit stall owner Mr Choi has been hard at work in Hong Kong as a fresh market worker. Having grown up with an agricultural background, Choi understands the hardships of farming, and thus cherishes food a lot. “I grew up in a poor family. We often starved, and I still remembered how terrible it felt. So now when I have surplus fruit at my stall, I think: why don’t we donate it to people in need?” Pointing to a not-so-good-looking apple nearby, Choi said,

Another fruit stall owner, Joanne Chan, echoed Choi’s thoughts, said, “I often see elderly people trying to salvage discarded vegetables and fruits from the bins here in the market. What a tragic scene in our bustling city!”

There is also a fresh produce retail chain that sells organic produce from around the globe in Link’s fresh markets. Inspired by the retail chain owner’s kind heart, the stall manager of the Lok Fu branch donates different vegetables and fruits to Food Angel enthusiastically, and also invites Food Angel to collect surplus food from its Spot Mart branch.

All the above tenants have been supporting Food Angel for four years, since 2016. It has become their habit to gather surplus food for Food Angel every day. While the act seems small, it creates a big impact for the underprivileged, and contributes to the effective management of scarce food resources.

Spot Mart and Lok Fu Tenants Donating the Most

Link Together Initiatives has provided continuous support to Food Angel since 2016. During that time, Philip Liu, who has been working in Food Angel’s Food Rescue Team for more than four years, said there has been great improvement in the efficiency of food collection and meal distribution. “Participating fresh markets of Link have increased from 14 at the beginning to over 30 now, with more than half of the tenants joining from each fresh market,” Philip said. “The tenants are so supportive that we have to go around the market twice each visit in order to collect all the surplus food. We rescue an average of 500 to 700 kilograms of surplus food every month, with Spot Mart and Lok Fu Market tenants donating the most. This is very encouraging!” Although Food Angel was temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it has resumed its normal operations since early June.