Xi’an Volunteers: Distribution of Free Watermelon Day 2

Xi’an Alliance works to promote a spirit of volunteerism. Many student volunteers are trained to participate in public welfare activities and social work. The main office is in Xi’an, China.

On August 13, 2016, free watermelon distribution went to the second day in Hu County. The weather was hot in Xi’an with temperature over 40 centigrade. People felt like staying under AC in the room. Sanitation workers still had to work no matter how high temperature was. Meanwhile, volunteers from 029 Public Service Center were divided into groups and prepared for the activity. Apart from distributing over 2500 kilogram watermelon for residents at South Gate, 5500 kilograms of watermelon would be given to over 200 sanitation workers and the aged living in Tangdu Garden community. The watermelon were donated by loving enterprises and persons in Xi’an.

At 11:30 in the morning, the truck arrived with watermelon. The sanitation workers were waiting in 2 lines and helped to unload the watermelons. Most of sanitation workers are old with dark skins and gray hair. When volunteers delivered watermelon to the workers, they smiled and were as kind as our families. We respect these sanitation workers. Their average age is about 56 and some of them are over 60, but they still work over 8 hours a day, especially those who work in western station. Beautiful city cannot be separated with hard work of sanitation workers, nor the participation of each of us. We hope people pay attention to their behaviors and do not litter garbage, which will relief burden of the workers. We hope people respect their work and build a clean city together.

Once the deliver for sanitation workers was complete, we went to Tangdu Garden community and deliver watermelon for the aged.

The distribution lasted from 5:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon. Over 40 volunteers participated in the service. They went to 3 sites and delivered 8000 kilograms of watermelon to the residents and sanitation workers. Volunteers were wearing red vests at each distribution site. They were serving people under high temperature without complains. A watermelon may not worth much money, but it condenses people’s love, which likes a cool stream bringing refreshing to the sanitation workers and community residents.

We hope the public service activity can help the peasants to sell more watermelon and care sanitation workers and the aged in the city on the one hand, and arouse more people and enterprises to care peasants and take social responsibilities.

Hot weather in summer could not hinder our callings for love. All people put into action to show love and kindness. 

Original article written by Ping Wang, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang

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