As a Chinese born Canadian with a hint of Indian flare, I feel like my parents emphasized on instilling three major values in my life: 1) Inclusivity—giving people an opportunity to feel like they are part of our family; 2) Perseverance—a.k.a Working hard at something despite the challenges and not complaining about it; 3) Gratitude—are you thankful for what you have? My mom would often tell me, “Just be thankful for what you have because others probably have it worse off.” I believe this mentality came from being raised and growing up in one of the poorest parts of the world, India. They witnessed extreme poverty first-hand and understand what it means to live in conditions that were not the utmost best. At the end of the day, they were different. A Chinese family trying to fit into a different country, culture and language. How do you navigate between assimilating into a new culture but still maintain your own heritage? I feel like this question is quite relevant with our ever evolving mixed cultures and diversity in the world now.

I believe what got them through this transition was finding people who understood their situation. They wanted to feel accepted and to belong in a place where they might have not necessarily called home. For me, I’ve reflected on their experience and the challenges that come with picking up and completely moving to a foreign country. How do you make meaningful relationships? Conquer loneliness? I’ve found giving back to community can really kill two birds with one stone. I’ve made some pretty amazing friends and have an understanding that my actions can impact a community that is often forgotten in society. In SALT terms, we call this the marginalized.

I truly believe if we all lived with that mentality of looking out for one another and being more accepting, this world would be a better place. Like my parents’ past experience, living in Taiwan has made me realize the importance of a good and healthy community which in turn can provide someone a better and balanced life. Now let’s say you are in the same boat as me, you’re a native English speaker with no friends, no family, you have a free weekend and you want to volunteer. So what are your options? That is where SALT comes in to fill in that need.

SALT is a place where you can find foreign-friendly, like-minded individuals who want to give a place where they might not necessarily call home but want to give something back to the Taiwanese community. As we’ve connected with so many foreigners, that is a common theme we’ve heard. Being a part of a movement in the city that really doesn’t have something like us and it sets us apart. We are a group of volunteers whose sole purpose is to serve the people who are often forgotten or unaccepted. We help prepare food for the soup kitchen on the first Saturday of every month with the homeless. We play with the kids to build relationships and to encourage them, letting them know that people care about them even if they might feel neglected at home. We throw a Christmas party for the people locked up in prison.

Although our team is small, we are a group of passionate people with a heart to serve. There’s something special and protective about the work we do with these people. Our ability to give them not only a basic human need like food, but also connect with them on a respect level, gives them a sense of dignity. Our Haircut for Homeless program brings together hair stylists to give the homeless new hairdos. There’s something quite special about seeing the smiles past their masks and seeing themselves in a different way.

As we are gaining more traction in the community after our biggest event of the year called #GivingTreeTw, where we donated 1000 gifts to various organizations throughout Taiwan, we’ve experienced a growth in numbers and opportunities that we are still learning to navigate. Most recently we had a soup kitchen, normally limited to 8 people, exceed maximum capacity with 25 volunteers showing up. We have more of a demand than supply which is a great problem to have. How then, do we manage so our volunteers have a great experience and we can aim to serve more food to the needy? These are some things we are in the process of working out. As most of us have full time jobs, we are in desperate need of resources, monetary support and administrative assistance. Our hopes and dreams for the SALT community is to possibly own our own soup kitchen, or even have our own van to take groups of people out of the city to visit the different orphanage homes. For more information about us or if this article has spoken to you, please contact us or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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1.) Where can I volunteer in Taiwan?

SALT Collectiv is a nonprofit headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan that hosts volunteer opportunities to serve the marginalized. Volunteer opportunities include serving the homeless through our SALT soup kitchen, orphanage visitations, elderly care, biannual beach cleanups, and our annual Christmas Giving Tree that gives over 1,000 gifts each year to the marginalized all over Taiwan. We also have fun community fundraiser events such as trivia nights, bake sales, F45 workouts, carwashes, and many more. Come checkout our community and join the movement.

2.) Can foreigners volunteer in Taiwan?

Yes! SALT Collectiv is a diverse international community of volunteers uniting for the purpose of making a lasting imprint for the vulnerable and marginalized. There are no prerequisites required to sign up for events and we welcome expats and locals alike to join our community. We ask only that you come with a heart to serve. When individuals come together, dedicating their time and talent to serve the marginalized, lives are touched and communities are transformed. In volunteering, you engage in causes bigger than yourself, cultivate meaningful relationships and positively impact your community.