A finished dish is only as good as the preparation.

My husband and I moved to Taiwan almost four years ago, and a priority for us when we arrived was to find opportunities to build and serve the community. Fortunately, my husband, Albert, was old friends with one of SALT Collectiv’s co-founders, and we were quickly plugged-in.

We started volunteering at the SALT Kitchen in early 2019 when SALT partnered with a local church near Taipei Main Station. I thought washing and cutting veggies with like-hearted people on a Saturday morning would be a great opportunity to serve people in need here in Taipei. Most importantly, I may even get to share God’s love to those who don’t know Him just yet.

Being a professional pastry chef, volunteering at the soup kitchen was a natural fit for me since I can still cook without the demands and pressure of a Michelin level kitchen. I couldn’t think of a better way to enter the heart than through the stomach. Food is my universal language to connect and unite people of all cultures, ages, backgrounds, and faiths. Serving the marginalized was the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about the dire needs of our street friends and how to bring hope.

I still recall the moment when I heard SALT Collectiv was looking to build their own soup kitchen. With my husband as board members of SALT Collectiv, my heart lit up instantly as I envisioned all the possibilities that have yet to come! After twenty years of building a career in the hospitality industry at world renowned Michelin star rated restaurants, hotels, and bakeries, I transitioned to become an educational leader in vocational training and education to raise up the next generation of professional chefs. I knew this was my moment to bring to the table what God has been equipping me all these years of leading and managing kitchens and people to fulfill a unique eternal purpose. I began praying and making plans on how to approach this endeavor with the finish line in mind like an athlete who trains daily to finish a race strong.

Working in Michelin level establishments trained and equipped me to finish a race on a daily basis, working 12-14 hours a day up to 6 days per week. Through learning endurance and grit in the process, this enabled me to tackle the task of supporting SALT Collectiv to develop an operational structure with our newly established partner – Twinkeyz Dos – to make 150 bento boxes per service event. The kicker is we were given less than two months to launch. Challenge accepted!

The most important aspect of a successful kitchen operation is not just the quality and consistency of the food produced or the maintenance of hygiene standards, it’s the staff members and the natural dynamics created when various personalities, backgrounds, and working skill levels are brought to work together in reaching common goals. I needed to gather like minded and hearted volunteers in order to build a core team who are committed to sacrifice half a Saturday starting at 8am for the next few months. We wrote a menu and started with a couple kitchen test runs. Next was kitchen core team recruitment and then training (online and in-person) for a month to assess if the team would be ready to execute on our own using Twinkeyz Dos’ entire restaurant. Without the support of Twinkeyz Dos’ owner, we would not be able to pursue this first momentous step.

In retrospect, recruiting was the easy part and it was so inspiring to see the number of people who raised their hands to help. Training and building the team was the greater challenge. Teaching someone new to the culinary world to cook in large volume under timed pressure is where I thrive. Patience, compassion, and strong communication were the key to overcoming this hurdle. I also had to let go of reaching for perfection knowing this was not the most important goal. The goal was to build a core team and establish SOP’s to serve people in need together as a family in Christ.

We faced many hurdles each time we served, whether it was not cooking enough rice, mushy rice, having too much or too little of a particular ingredient along with burns and cuts. We got through each time learning what God’s grace meant as individuals and together as a team. God always provided for us despite our circumstances or inadequacies. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other during our short debrief meetings on how to improve next time.

The truth is, no matter how well I planned, there were always hiccups, but that was what made it fun yet encouraging knowing that we could only improve. The outcome is often beyond your control. Just fix your eyes on the prize at the finish line and cross it, sign up for another race, continue to train daily, hold onto your faith, and before you know it you’ll be able to deliver 150 bento boxes – or whatever it is you are working towards.

And sometimes, it all starts with a simple act service.

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1.) How can I help the homeless in Taiwan?

SALT Collectiv hosts monthly volunteer opportunities to serve the homeless in Taipei, Taiwan through our SALT Soup Kitchens. By partnering with local restaurants, our volunteers help prepare, pack and deliver at least 150 warm bento boxes to the homeless community at Taipei Main Station. Volunteering with SALT Collectiv not only makes a lasting imprint for the vulnerable and marginalized, but also makes a lasting imprint in your heart. Be sure to stay updated on volunteer opportunities by following us on Instagram and Facebook, or checking our website.

2.) 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 fundraiser events such as trivia nights, bake sales, F45 workouts, carwashes, and many more. Our FUNdraiser events bring the fun into building our community. Come checkout our community and join the movement.  

3.) 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.

Our family moved to Taiwan from Australia in 2020 with our two boys Cruz (7yo) and Miles (3yo). One of the reasons for coming to Taiwan was for all of us to experience new things that would open our eyes to the culture, people and heritage of Taiwan.

When we first arrived, we wrote a list of things we wanted to do during our time here. The list included all sorts of things like “Visit Alishan”, “Fruit Picking” & “Bike riding and skateboarding”, but also on the list was “community volunteer work”, and in my son’s words, “to help someone who is poor”. Deep down we wanted to try to make at least a small, but meaningful contribution to people in Taiwan who were doing it tough.

Like a lot of families, my wife and I have both grown up in distinctly middle-class families. Our parents had worked hard to make sure that we were well provided for. Our families weren’t “rich” in monetary terms by pretty much anyone’s definition of “rich”, but we also were able to afford most typical needs and wants. Growing up as kids, we never had to worry about not having a warm bed to jump into or clothes to wear, we were able to learn a musical instrument, I remember my mum would buy me McDonald’s after my swimming lesson each week, and we were able to do the occasional family holiday.

But the thing about growing up middle-class, is that it’s very easy to fall into the trap of thinking “We’re not quite rich enough to be too generous”, “If I was as rich as those other people, I would give so much more” or some iteration of that mindset. I know that people in all socioeconomic situations can fall into this trap, but what’s unique to the middle class is you get a taste of some of the “good” things in life without the security of feeling like it’s always going to be there, so you develop a fear of needing to protect those things and to keep up with the Joneses, whilst too often taking what we have for granted.

One of the big shifts in my life was when I was about 10 or 11 years old. My dad was working in Bangladesh at the time and my mom and I visited him during school holidays. This was the first time I saw real poverty other than the occasional WorldVision ad on TV, and all I can say is it swallowed me up like a black hole. I remember sitting in the car as we drove along one of the major roads, and lined across both sides of the road were blue tarps, one after the other, stretching from the handrails to the ground on the concrete sidewalk, the only shelter that people had. When we walked through the markets, we were always surrounded by crowds and crowds of people – the elderly, children – following us and asking for help.

For the first time, I realized that we are rich. Maybe not by the standards we see today on TV, on social media and on billboards, but compared to a huge part of the world. My paradigm shifted after that experience and I remember thinking, if I ever have children, I want to open their eyes to how blessed we are, how much we have to give, and how many people are in desperate need of help.

I’m not saying I don’t struggle with discontentment, even now, but it definitely gave me a new perspective and I wanted our kids to learn and experience that no matter what we have or don’t have, we can always be generous and help someone else in need, whether that’s with our time, our finances, or even just a conversation and a listening ear.

We had it in our heart to serve the local people somehow but with our language barriers and unfamiliarity with organizations in Taiwan, we had no idea where to start. I had taken the boys to Taipei Main Station one Christmas with a meal and drinks for 20 people to hand out, and it was a great experience for the kids, but it was still so limited in what we could do.

So when some great friends from church told my wife and I about SALT Collectiv and the opportunity to be involved in helping the marginalized here in Taiwan, I remember our eyes lighting up and a smile stretched across our faces, as if a lightbulb had been flicked on in our brains. We couldn’t be more excited. Sign us up!

Our first involvement was with the previous iteration of the SALT Kitchen ministry where we helped to prepare food for a local soup kitchen, and more recently with SALT Kitchen x Allegro樂格輕食 where we helped to pack bento boxes and hand them out at Taipei Main Station.

We loved the fact that our kids were encouraged to get involved, that they weren’t treated like afterthoughts but could really contribute to the cause. Both boys love helping with the SALT Kitchen and they keep asking us when we can go again. I asked Cruz what his favorite thing about the SALT Kitchen was and he said “All of it! But I really love giving the meals out to people ”, and I’m so thankful that they’ve had the opportunity to catch this vision from SALT Collectiv.

We love the vision; the mission; the team and the heart of what SALT Collectiv is all about and we absolutely encourage anyone who is interested to get involved in any way you (and your children!) can.

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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 fundraiser events such as trivia nights, bake sales, F45 workouts, carwashes, and many more. Our FUNdraiser events bring the fun into building our community. 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.

3.) Is it possible to volunteer with children in Taiwan?

Yes! SALT Collectiv welcomes and encourages children of all ages to participate in our volunteer events. However, parents will be solely responsible for the actions, behavior, and whereabouts of their children.