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Thousands Gather for Neighbourhood First Reunion Lunch

Reported by Elaine LAI

Over 3,000 people from the 18 districts of Hong Kong and nearly 900 young volunteers came together to celebrate the Year of the Dragon at the "Neighbourhood First Reunion Lunch" in northern Tseung Kwan O on Jan. 27.

As part of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups’s Community First program, young volunteers and service targets, including low-income families and the elderly, gathered to eat Poon Choi, a traditional Cantonese festival meal composed of different ingredients. 

The party also featured traditional Lunar New Year celebrations such as a lion dance and the distribution of lai see, red envelopes filled with money as a symbolic gesture of good luck.

The event marked the first large-scale lunch gathering following the pandemic. Government officials, including Winnie Ho, Secretary for Housing, and Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, attended the gathering.

“Today’s weather is a bit cold, but I felt so warm and happy when I came here. I like it here a lot because there are so many youth leaders,” Ho said. 

Chris Sun and Winnie Ho beat the gong, signalling the start of lunch.

Since the program was initiated by young volunteers, they designed a board with 3,880 wooden cards crafted in the shape of a tangerine, symbolising the meaning of "fortunate” in Chinese.

HKFYG provided reusable utensils and encouraged participants to bring their own. Some volunteers are also responsible for collecting the leftovers for recycling.

Participants held the cards of tangerines, meaning to bring good luck.

Bobby Li, 21, is a volunteer for the Wong Tai Sin neighbourhood. He said he was impressed to see many individuals coming together.

“Although neighbours see each other a lot within the community, this is the first time we have lunch together,” Li added.

Li enjoys Poon Choi with his neighbours.

Ling Liu, a 43-year-old housewife from To Kwa Wan, says this is her first time eating Poon Choi with neighbours from other districts. 

“It's so lively and full of New Year's atmosphere. Due to the pandemic, we haven't had the chance to participate in an event full of people,” Ling added.

“Choi Sun” or “God of wealth”, hands out lai see with chocolates inside.

Helen Siu, executive director of HKFYG, expressed her gratitude to all, especially endorsing the hard work and creativity of young volunteers.

“Even though it is just a small action, young volunteers are giving warmth and creating a better community,” Siu said.

The community project has formed 100 “Neighbourhood Teams” distributed across various districts in Hong Kong. HKFYG said they hope the project can continue to provide concrete services in different communities.

《The Young Reporter》

The Young Reporter (TYR) started as a newspaper in 1969. Today, it is published across multiple media platforms and updated constantly to bring the latest news and analyses to its readers.

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