Written by Christina Chang, Joy Chen, Yulin Hua, Renee Liu, Jennifer Thai, and Lulu Yin
Translated by Christina Chang
Edited by Ida Eva Zielinska
A strong earthquake struck Taiwan on April 3, 2024, prompting Tzu Chi USA to launch the Send Love & Care to Taiwan fundraising campaign to support the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation’s disaster relief efforts. In the San Francisco Bay Area, on the weekend of April 6-7, volunteer teams used various methods to support the initiative, such as visiting businesses to hang posters, promoting online donation links, and setting up donation stations at mall and supermarket entrances to invite the public to donate. Volunteers also shared information about the earthquake during their regular weekend activities at Tzu Chi Academies and food distributions, linking several Tzu Chi USA Northwest Region communities in Northern California in prayer for everyone’s safety.
Cupertino
West of San Jose, in Cupertino, considered one of the cities that comprise the heart of Silicon Valley where many major technology companies have their global headquarters, including Apple Inc., the Tzu Chi USA Northwest Region team in California mobilized numerous volunteers over the April 6-7 weekend to support the Send Love & Care to Taiwan campaign.
They invited the families of volunteers, Tzu Chi Academy teachers, and high school students to join the fundraising effort, stationing at malls and supermarkets and visiting businesses to hang posters and share online donation information. As they did, some community members shared updates about their families in Taiwan. Others praised Tzu Chi’s direct and rapid disaster relief, with many contributing cash on the spot to show their immediate support. Younger people used their smartphones to scan QR codes on the posters to make online donations.
Hsintan Chang, a Tzu Chi Academy Cupertino teacher, brought her daughter and son to help. Her mother and husband’s family are from Taiwan. Seeing people generously donating on the streets in the U.S. moved her deeply. “It’s a very special experience for people to donate money, and it teaches my children to help others,” she observed.
Tzu Chi Academy Cupertino tenth grader Hsiaotzu Chen also joined the street fundraising effort. Her grandparents live in Taiwan and, thankfully, are safe. “Although I can’t go back to Taiwan to help directly, I can support Taiwan from overseas through donations, and I hope everyone stays safe,” she explained.
High school student Ryan Polivka and his mother participated, standing outside for two hours. The youth silently wished to gather donations from ten people within 20 minutes and loudly encouraged passersby to donate. Having successfully collected donations from 12 people within the timeframe, he summarized, “There truly are many kind-hearted people in the world, and I hope to use this power to help those affected by disasters.”
The team also visited nearby businesses, hoping to get permission to hang fundraising posters, which they did if allowed. Christine, a Taiwanese bubble tea shop owner, prepared milk tea for them, knowing they might be outside all day. Overall, the volunteers and the public all wished and prayed for an end to natural disasters.
In support for the Send Love & Care to Taiwan campaign, Tzu Chi Academy Cupertino held a special assembly led by Principal Andy Chiang. Over 100 teachers, students, and parents sang the Tzu Chi song “Prayer” while holding bamboo banks and sending blessings to Taiwan. The principal also spoke about the emergency shelter partitions and furniture made from recycled plastics that Tzu Chi was using during disaster relief in Taiwan. Many students were amazed by the ability to recycle plastics into disaster relief materials, gaining a solid lesson in environmental awareness.
Milpitas
In Milpitas, another city in Silcon Valley and neighboring San Jose, the Northwest Region’s California team deployed 14 volunteers daily to Milpitas Global Plaza to support Tzu Chi USA’s Send Love & Care to Taiwan campaign. The volunteers were split into two groups: one group of four outside a supermarket, engaging shoppers, and another group of ten carrying out fundraising activities in the Global Plaza, explaining to shop owners and passersby about Tzu Chi USA Northwest Region’s purpose and ways to participate in this disaster relief initiative.
The Milpitas community, initially a gathering place for many Taiwanese expatriates, has seen a demographic shift in recent years with more mainland Chinese and other Asian immigrants moving in. As a result, the community’s familiarity with Tzu Chi is not as strong as before. Tzu Chi volunteer Elaine Loo said, “The main goal of fundraising at Global Plaza is to make the community more aware of Tzu Chi, helping people understand that wherever there is a disaster in the world, Tzu Chi volunteers appear to call for assistance. Now that a strong earthquake has occurred in Taiwan, we urgently need to stand on the streets, calling on the community to support sending love to Taiwan.”
Fremont
In Fremont, southeast of San Francisco, Tzu Chi USA Northwest Region volunteers set up a street fundraising station at a shopping center. They stood for hours at a supermarket entrance to solicit donations, touched by the warmth of the public’s enthusiastic response.
Born in Taiwan, Lily Liu felt dually empathetic: She experienced the 1989 magnitude 6.9 earthquake in San Francisco and was concerned about her homeland. She cheered for Taiwan: “All of us Taiwanese abroad will unite our spirits to overcome this challenge. Whether it’s donating money or effort, this is the united heart of all Taiwanese, and we can definitely do it. Let the whole world see the resilience of Taiwan.”
Mr. Zhou dropped cash into a donation box and said, “I feel like crying. It’s heartbreaking.” He recalled visiting areas in Taiwan that were now gravely damaged by the 2024 earthquake. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have the chance to go there again in my life,” he reflected. Zhou emotionally recited a Tibetan Buddhist scripture for the people of Taiwan, wishing safety and peace to everyone impacted by this disaster.
Oakland
In Oakland, on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, the fundraising teams opted for a district-wide approach due to safety concerns associated with street fundraising in a city known for crime. They posted Taiwan earthquake information and donation QR codes in shops to promote the Send Love & Care to Taiwan online donation platform, thus extending the reach of their charitable efforts throughout the community and avoiding risks.
Oakland volunteers separate into four groups and simultaneously walk through businesses, posting flyers and advocating for online donations. Photo/Khuyen Hua
In the Vietnamese Little Saigon neighborhood, upon seeing Tzu Chi volunteers, a shop owner who was distraught when hearing the news of the Taiwan earthquake told them, “Hearing about the earthquake in Taiwan makes me so sad, and I wanted to cry. You hurry and hang the poster in the shop.” Despite other posters already covering much of the store, the owner quickly removed an old poster to make space for a prominent display of Tzu Chi’s Send Love & Care to Taiwan poster, contributing to the community-wide fundraising effort.
When distributing hot meals on Saturdays to community members struggling with homelessness, the volunteers in Oakland also took advantage of the opportunity to share news of the severe earthquake that struck Taiwan and call for support. Initially, the volunteers were skeptical, thinking, “How can they afford to donate?” But the outcome was a pleasant surprise.
They explained how everyone can contribute a little, helping turn those who usually receive help into givers themselves. One care recipient took the lead, digging out the only coin in his pocket and placing it into the donation bamboo bank, his act inspiring others to follow suit. Pennies, quarters, and even one dollar — what might seem insignificant to some was all these people had, yet they didn’t hesitate to give all the love they could. After learning Tzu Chi began in Taiwan, one man said, “We want to help Taiwan because Tzu Chi has helped us.”
San Francisco
In the San Francisco area, Tzu Chi volunteers held fundraising events on April 6 and 7, during which they informed the public about the Send Love & Care to Taiwan fundraising campaign. Volunteers in San Francisco have regularly engaged with the Hunters Point community during weekend activities. On April 6, 40 volunteers, residents, and children from the Youth Bright program gathered to pray and bless those impacted by the Taiwan earthquake. They also brought their bamboo banks, filled with spare change collected over time, to donate to the Taiwan earthquake relief mission.
Due to San Francisco’s susceptibility to earthquakes, Tzu Chi volunteers showed footage of major earthquakes in 1906 and 1989 during the gatherings to help the community understand the impact of natural disasters and teach emergency response techniques for earthquakes.
At Tzu Chi Academy San Francisco, Songfeng Lin, a young student from a Taiwanese family, arrived early at school with his grandmother and immediately handed over three heavy bamboo banks filled with donations to his teacher, Peiyu Luo. The boy said, “I want to donate money to help the earthquake survivors in Taiwan so they can buy food and not be hungry.”
Luo used the first class to educate the students about earthquake preparedness. When she shouted, “Three, two, one, earthquake!” the students quickly took cover under their desks, practicing the “drop, hold, and cover” routine, a standard drill for San Francisco kindergarteners aiming to teach them about disaster preparedness and safety from a young age.
During a break, Tzu Chi volunteer Xueying Luo also introduced the bamboo bank spirit and concept to the Academy’s students, sharing, “Don’t underestimate the value of a penny. If everyone contributes a little, it adds up to a lot, and we can help those in need. Small savings can do great good.”
A Successful Weekend of Fundraising
The Northwest Region’s volunteers in Northern California took Tzu Chi USA’s Send Love & Care to Taiwan campaign to heart, with teams working together to collect donations on the streets. They hoped to combine every good intention and each bit of effort to support those affected by this earthquake disaster, helping them rebuild from the rubble, face their challenges, and regain a sense of peace in their lives. Over two days on April 6-7, through their efforts at 12 donation stations and three Tzu Chi Academies in the San Francisco Bay Area, the teams collected $45,190.18. Even more people donated online, significantly increasing the total amount of funds gathered.
This fundraising effort is but one example of the Northwest Region volunteers’ dedication to furthering Tzu Chi USA’s missions in Northern California and across where they serve. Your love and support empower all of their initiatives and activities.
