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This year marks the 10th anniversary of Link Together Initiatives. Throughout the years, Link has leveraged its extensive property network and collaborated with charitable organisations, business partners and tenants to implement innovative community projects, serving diverse communities. Channel 823 conducted a special interview with representatives from two beneficiary organisations, Food Angel and Arts’ Options, to learn about their stories of growth alongside Link and the positive change they bring to the community.
Food Angel was the first food recycling and assistance programme launched by the Bo Charity Foundation in 2011. In 2016, the programme began receiving support from Link Together Initiatives to amplify its reach and impact. According to founder Gigi Tung, Food Angel decided to seek support from Link Together Initiatives due to the strategic placement of Link’s shopping centres and fresh markets within residential communities, as well as the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables provided by grocers in these locations daily.
“Our partnership with Link has entered its eighth year,” Gigi said. “We’re immensely grateful to Link for allowing us to collect surplus food from their markets. Our relationship is what I would call a perfect partnership. Thanks to Link’s assistance, the amount of food we collect each day has surged, enabling us to prepare more meals and food packs. The number of meals we serve per day has risen from a few thousand to 20,000 today, benefitting even more people in need.”
Aside from collecting edible fruits and vegetables from over 400 grocers at Link’s 39 fresh markets, Food Angel has set up 15 food collection boxes at Link’s shopping centres to facilitate public food donations. Additionally, they introduced innovative pop-up stores last year and Food Angel’s first concept mart in Hong Kong - “Rice Boy Stations” this year to promote a food-wise culture, eco-consumerism and meet society’s changing needs for food assistance.
“Our service model underwent a significant transformation during the pandemic. Because direct food distribution was not possible, we came up with the idea of placing self-service automated food dispensers in the community. Link was very supportive when we presented this idea to them. They assisted us in installing food dispensers in 10 of their shopping centres, making it easier for people to collect free meal boxes.”
In terms of Food Angel’s future development, Gigi said, “Link’s shopping centres and markets provide an excellent platform for charitable organisations like ours to establish stronger connections with the community. We plan to open additional Rice Boy Stations in different districts and set up 24-hour self-service stations to offer more convenient and user-friendly services to those who come for food. We’ll also continue to work hand-in-hand with Link to reduce food waste, foster a food-saving culture and promote sustainable living within communities.”
Since 2019, Link has been a sponsor of the Transformational Multi Performing Arts Programme for Golden Agers, created by the theatre group Arts’ Options. This programme provides professional theatre training to seniors with untapped potential and a passion for drama. Over the course of four years, the programme has successfully nurtured more than 70 professional golden-age actors. Aside from performing on stage, the actors have appeared in TV productions and advertisements, gradually gaining the recognition and appreciation of the performing arts industry.
Brenda Chan, the artistic director, reminisced about Arts’ Options’ initial intention in seeking sponsorship from Link: “Link is deeply engaged in the community and has a keen understanding of the needs of local communities and their residents. They share our belief that senior citizens should lead active and fulfilling lives every day and that they, too, have the right to pursue their dreams. Most importantly, Link’s community projects aim to give back to society, making us a perfect match.”
Link Together Initiatives was the first corporate sponsor of Arts’ Options. According to Brenda, the Programme for Golden Agers was like a start-up at the time, with everyone enthusiastic but unsure about the future. “Link had a keen eye and recognised the significance of the project from the start. After years of development, I believe our golden-age actors have reciprocated Link’s trust and support with their hard work and perseverance. What’s been most remarkable during these four years is not only the support that Link has provided, but also the creative latitude they’ve granted us and the respect they’ve shown for the programmes we’ve chosen to present.”
The Programme for Golden Agers has been carried out in three phases since 2019, enabling actors to gradually unlock their second lives while raising the programme’s public profile. “The first phase involved assisting seniors with self-learning, training and skills enhancement, followed by professional stage performances. The second phase was focused on gaining public recognition and appreciation. In the third phase, we started venturing outside of Hong Kong. For example, in May of this year, 11 actors were invited to perform at LEEDS 2023: Year of Culture in the United Kingdom, showcasing the artistic achievements of Hong Kong’s golden-age actors to an international audience,” Brenda explained.
As the programme approaches its fifth year, Brenda has a clear vision for the future: “Our priority is sustainable development. To this end, we’ve already trained a group of senior actors who can continue to give back to society, such as by setting up a non-profit senior theatre group. This would be significant for the local theatre scene. Furthermore, outstanding senior actors can become mentors, teaching and developing more senior actors.”
Brenda is also excited about the prospects for the future: “The good news is that in 2022, we successfully became a registered charitable organisation, providing us with a stronger foundation to continue fostering senior arts.”
