By Jing Xiaolei, staff reporter of Beijing Review
Staff (L) helps a donor to pack the clothes.
"We were totally shocked by what we read from the newspaper. It [the quake] was horrible," Dai Jinfang, the administrative officer of Yulin Nijiaqiao Community, a residential community in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province, told Beijing Review.
The name list of donors.
Donation has become the order of the day. A campaign aiming to collect relief supplies for quake-hit victims was organized in the community on May 14.
"On the first day, for instance, we collected 1400 yuan ($200) and more than 1,000 clothes," said Dai proudly. "The number of relief packages in the community has reached 40."
"Donations, in terms of money and clothes, are now available, thanks to the administrative office," said an elderly lady, Chen, who brought two packages of clothes. "I don't have too much money since I'm a pensioner. What I can do is to donate some clothes."
More than 10 residents came to donate within 20 minutes. Accompanied by his mother, a 7-year-old boy donated three pairs of shoes; a migrant worker, who happened to pass by the donation center, gave 20 yuan and told Beijing Review that he came from Chongqing, the nearest municipality from the epicenter.
According to organizers, all the clothes and money collected are registered and will be sent to local Red Cross institutions by 6 p.m. every day.
"We'll get detailed receipts from them," said Dai, adding that it was a transparent way to respect every donor.
(Beijing Review May 16, 2008)