Charity efforts made by the Shandong Civil Affairs Bureau and Shandong Charity Federation have paid off, with a total of 841.15 million yuan in cash and 110.35 million yuan worth of materials collected in 2009.

This result is partly achieved through widespread charity organizations. A total of 1,669 towns have charity branches and over 40,000 villages have charity stations, building a solid platform for Shandong’s charity development.

Charity foundations registered with the Shandong Civil Affairs Bureau also contributed to the province’s charity progress. To date, 46 charity foundations have registered with the bureau, of which 24 are public foundations.

To support Yushu, which was hit by a devastating earthquake in April, charity organizations at all levels called for donations across Shandong. The campaign has seen 159.03 million yuan in cash and 13.38 million worth of materials collected for Yushu.

An award ceremony will be held on May 21 to commend those who made great contributions to Shandong’s charity development.

By Zhao Ruixue (China Daily Shandong Bureau)

Editor: Li Jing