The mayor of New Taipei City, Eric Chu, has said that the city Government's new food program for hungry school children is worthwhile as long as it helps those in need. The programme, will see four convenience store chains - 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK – providing hungry schoolchildren under 18 with up to NT$80 ($2.7) worth of boxed lunches, noodles, bread and beverages.
According to the city Government, the programme is designed as emergency relief rather than long-term welfare. Children who request the free meals will be required to leave their contact information at the store, allowing social welfare institutions to arrange further assistance under other programs if necessary.
"The latest program is a complementary measure to help the underprivileged," said Chu, noting that the city had introduced a range of programmes to combat deprivation. Although there are ward chiefs, social workers, school personnel and police to help children, Chu added, there are still students who cannot obtain emergency assistance due to unstable family situations or unforeseen circumstances. He said that, while there may be some abuses of the programme, it will be worthwhile if it can identify one out of every 10 or 100 people who really need help.
Chu revealed that the programme "will be reviewed every three months and any necessary adjustments will be made."