USTC360 No21 San Francisco Food Distribution Part 2

Today, we continue our coverage on the great work Tzu Chi San Francisco volunteers have been doing for the low-income families at Gordon J. Lau elementary school. A majority of the families live in Single Room Occupancy hotels, or SROs in San Francisco's Chinatown. The dwellings are a rich part of the city's history and trace their beginnings to the mid-19th century. The SROs were resided by low-wage workers, transient laborers, and immigrants because the housing was affordable. These days, San Francisco still has hundreds of SRO hotels that home up to 5% of the city; and one predominant group are the Chinese immigrant population. In a few moments, you will meet Mrs. Hsieh who was kind enough to show us her living quarters. She told us that compared to other tenants, she is fortunate, because normally a family of four would be sharing the 60 square feet of space she lives in.
In our next segment, Footprints, we introduce you to Martin Kuo. He is a Tzu Chi volunteer that has been to 11 countries for Tzu Chi's international disaster relief missions. Before Martin came to the US to take over the family business, he was a young college graduate who was enjoying a free-spirited life. However, he soon realized the challenges in adjusting to life in America. His family business didn't do well, and Martin lost everything in a blink of an eye. Yet, through that experience of feeling helplessness, Martin was able to gain the wisdom to motivate him to vow that he will never let his family suffer financially again.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

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• No21
• Food
• Distribution
• in
• San
• Francisco
• Part2