5 ways to give back in Hong Kong

Building a community of like-minded people is something we are striving for. It is also at the heart of our motto. We want to help support local businesses by connecting them with customers through our app. We are hoping to build a family of eco-warriors and kind-hearted members, where together we can create a network to support each other's journey towards a happier and greener planet.

Today, we thought we would start by bringing in a different angle to sustainability with a focus on society. Giving back and charitable work is a priority of ours and we want to share how we can do so in Hong Kong.

5 ways to give back in HK

Be kind, join a Kindness Walk with ImpactHK

ImpactHK is a locally based non profit that focuses on homelessness across Hong Kong. Their aim is to help people experiencing homelessness to find a safe home, support their mental and physical wellbeing as well as self-esteem, and ultimately help them find their purpose. ImpactHK is recognised for organising daily Kindness Walks (except for Sundays) in multiple districts around HK where they deliver necessities (water and food for example) and also warmth. You can easily sign up on their online calendar to join the next walk or check out their website to see how else you can give back.

Donate your food surplus

Staple foods such as rice, canned food, noodles are in constant high demand. Other items that are sought after include medical masks, sanitiser and household cleaning products. There are multiple charities around Hong Kong that facilitate us to give back. For example, Feeding Hong Kong aims to combat hunger whilst also reducing the amount of food that is sent to our landfills (did you know that 14 out of our 16 landfills are over capacity?). The charity accepts donations and volunteers, and you can easily help out through their volunteer calendar. Other charities include Foodlink Foundation and FoodAngel. You can also view a well compiled list from the government that also shares the safety regulations around food donations.

Volunteer with meaningful charities

There can never be enough help to be given! If you have time on your hands or looking to fill your weekends/public holidays with meaningful activities, then why not volunteer at charities around Hong Kong? The aforementioned charities from above are not to be forgotten, and other local charities across the city include Crossroads Foundation, Hong Kong Dog Rescue, More Good, and more.

Recycle with Green@Community

Giving back generally means in a social context as we have shown that through our 3 earlier points. But what about giving back and being kind to our planet? Building a community of eco-warriors to alleviate our footprint on our environment is equally as important. Green@Community is a community recycling network set up by the Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong. It aims “to promote community participation in reducing, reusing and recycling waste". The network has over 160 public collection points with recycling stations, recycling stores and recycling spots spread out across the city. You can locate all of the points via their website. The government has also initiated a Green$ Mobile App to encourage submission of recyclables. This form of electronic incentive scheme allows citizens to be compensated via gifts (such as daily necessities, groceries, environmentally friendly products).

Join HK Clean up to help keep our coastlines clean

Hong Kong Cleanup is a well established NGO and has been coordinating community cleanups in Hong Kong since 2000. It is the city's first coastal cleanup organisation and has built up a community of companies, schools, governments and individuals to help contribute to sustainability in our city. Since its debut 2 decades ago, they have collected over 11,000,000kg of trash with the participation of over 1,000,000 volunteers. That's immense! Sign up now or follow their page to join this amazing initiative. Additionally, you can also submit data through their citizen science platform if you have already carried out a clean up.