Premier Su Tseng-chang on Thursday said that providing assistance and sharing overabundance with others to avoid waste are virtues that all people in Taiwan admire. The government's role is to supply a mechanism for pulling together the energy, resources and means required to ensure that donated and subsidized food and goods reach people in need as soon as possible.
The premier made his remarks following a presentation by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on benefits available to disadvantaged households and school meals for underprivileged students.
The MOHW indicated that government at all levels is actively engaged in delivering food and goods where needed. Currently, Taiwan's 22 cities and counties have established 203 locations for aid distribution, which were accessed 660,000 times in 2018. Disadvantaged families can receive benefits in such forms as food stamps and actual goods. Local governments are responsible for collecting private-sector donations, storing inventory, and allocating food and material aid. They then coordinate with subordinate jurisdictions to link and support existing networks in order to provide food and items for daily use to low-income and middle-low-income families, poor and marginalized households, and families and individuals requiring emergency relief.