Feeding the Soul: Shincheonji Chungju Church’s 9-Year Journey of Serving Meals to Seniors
As our society ages rapidly, the loneliness and food insecurity faced by the elderly have become pressing issues. In Chungju, South Korea—a city where over 26% of the population is aged 65 or older—one community group has been quietly filling this void for nearly a decade. A Warm Meal Beyond Just Sustenance For many seniors living alone, a meal often consists of nothing more than rice and simple soybean paste soup. However, every second Tuesday of the month, the atmosphere changes at the "Happy Angel" office in Jihyeon-dong. Since nine years ago, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus Chungju Branch has partnered with the non-profit organization 'Happy Angel' to host the "Happy Table" event. "Usually, I just eat rice with soybean soup, but I feel so happy coming here. The volunteers treat us with such respect and serve us wonderful food," says 88-year-old Ban In-han, a local resident. Addressing the Meal Gap in a Super-Aged Society With the rise of sin...