CHARITY
SALT, The Center and a Giving Tree! SALT Collectiv is a charity that helps serve the marginalized in different ways, such as cooking and delivering food for the homeless. This year The Center is happy to be joining SALT’s Giving Tree event to help spread the festive spirit to those less fortunate in Taiwan. Read on for more information about this event that gives back to the local community. TEXT: ANDREW WU AND LUCY TORRES IMAGES: SALT COLLECTIV
Andrew Wu
Co-Founder, SALT Collectiv
18
WINTER 2023 www.communitycenter.org.tw
T
he Giving Tree is a Christmas tradition that goes by many names and is practiced all over the world. The basic idea is to give a gift to someone less fortunate than yourself. Initially we were inspired by the folks at The Key Fitness and collaborated with them to provide gifts to orphanages and children’s hospitals. It was so awesome that we wanted to do more the following year. “What about the schools for the visually impaired and on
the spectrum?” We hit those up and started to deliver there. “What about the organizations outside of Taipei?” We got that in the books. “Let’s try and reach 1000 kids!” Boom. Done. “What about the aboriginal organizations deep in the mountains that don’t receive much support at all?” Bet. Checked. The #GivingTreeTW campaign is so much more than just giving a Christmas gift. It’s about the connection between the donor and the recipient. The recipient could be from an orphanage, social-welfare organization, specialized school, or hospital. They could range from infants to geriatrics, as many o f t h e e l d e r l y w e s e r v e e n t e re d those organizations when they were children and still need love now as much as they needed it then. We have the opportunity to ask each of them directly what’s the one thing they want the most. Obviously, we won’t be getting them a spaceship to Mars (that was an actual wish, but we unfortunately had to ask them to wish for something else), but it’s a chance for them to feel that someone truly cares. SALT Collectiv has so many stories, a n d w e ’v e s e e n h o w i n d i v i d u a l s personally experiencing the Giving Tree are more inspired and encouraged to participate year after year, even wanting to be more involved. That lasting imprint and impact is what SALT Collectiv is all about.
