Premier Mao Chi-kuo today visited a community care station for indigenous students in Taitung County, calling the facility an excellent model as it not only provides breakfast for the youth but also serves as a day care center.
The premier shared breakfast with the children and donated a monetary gift to go toward meals. He said he hopes facilities such as this can grow into centers of community activity, supporting families and neighborhoods, providing healthy meals to children, and helping with students' learning and living needs.
In addition to providing breakfast, the stations can serve many other purposes such as offering daytime care for the elderly, the premier said.
Finding dependable support for senior citizens requires help from the private sector, added the premier. At present there are nearly 2,000 community care stations in Taiwan. To double this number, the government will continue cooperating with civil groups and bring a facility to every corner of the nation.
The government is always trying to find ways of making the best use of limited resources, continued Mao. During previous visits to other community care stations, he recalled, he learned that the government's annual surplus rice would be of great use to the stations. Hence, he requested the Council of Agriculture (COA) to study the feasibility of such an arrangement.
Now, under the COA's assistance, the rice surplus is being provided to care stations in urban and rural areas. The premier hopes this will help alleviate their financial burdens and took occasion to thank the COA for its efforts.