From June 2020, the Manhattan Service Center holds fruit and vegetable distributions twice a month on Saturday mornings. Photo/Hsiuchun Wong Written by Daphne Liu Translated
Tzu Chi volunteers provide a training day for local volunteers in Port-au-Prince on September 4, 2021, as the countdown to earthquake disaster relief distributions continues.
On September 1, 2021, Tzu Chi USA issued a press release to announce the arrival in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, of the Tzu Chi Haiti Earthquake Response Team, composed of volunteers from California and New York. They are there to coordinate and set immediate disaster relief distributions in motion, just two weeks after the magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Haiti on August 14, 2021, causing extensive destruction. At the same time, they would begin work on the mid and long-term recovery plan.
On August 21 and 22, Tzu Chi Haiti volunteer Johnson Chang leads an initial assessment team to areas affected by the earthquake that struck Haiti
For the past year, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (Tzu Chi) has been making a concerted effort to send food and medical supplies to those countries hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of June 20, 2021, Tzu Chi’s footprints of humanitarian aid have now reached 125 countries and regions.
Indian villagers line up to receive Tzu Chi food and aid packages. Photo Credit: The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. When the COVID-19 pandemic began in
Since 2020, the Tzu Chi has worked tirelessly to provide relief for those suffering in India, and their constant effort has redoubled as heartbreaking news of the latest wave of the deadly virus dominated headlines. In just the first five months of 2021, Tzu Chi has already provided relief to seven countries in the region, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Laos, and Cambodia, working with 59 organizations in total, providing support to over 330,000 families.
While the COVID-19 vaccine has been rolling out in many parts of the world and western countries have begun to relax their lockdown policies, heart-wrenching news from India has dominated the headlines. The South Asian country, at first noted for its effort to contain the spread of the virus, was struck hard by the second wave. According to the latest numbers, more than 20 million Indians have been infected, with the death tolls totaling upward of 250,000.
Tzu Chi volunteers in Jackson Heights, New York, combined their loving efforts with the Brigade of Hope for a free food distribution to help our neighbors struggling with food insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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