Group buying is not uncommon to office workers in Taiwan. Unlike others who are only interested in tasty snacks or fun gadgets, at CDF, almost a thousand employees have continuously participated in charity group buying from local sheltered workshops. These employees make a commitment to purchasing from certain sheltered workshops every month at the start of the year, in order to create the opportunity for the intellectually or physically disadvantaged workers at the workshops to learn professional skills and make some income on their own. “CDF is the only business that has long supported our operations, and it is our biggest and most stable client,” said an instructor of the Hsinchu Leizhi Sheltered Workshop.
Employees participating in the charity group buying are required to pay the full-year upfront cost of NT$1,200 in a lump sum. In return, they receive a bag of bakery products from the sheltered workshops every month, which could be a loaf of toast, steamed buns, a cake or biscuits. Including all its subsidiaries, almost a thousand CDF employees signed up for the group buying this year, offering an order worth nearly NT$1.2mn to the sheltered workshops.
The spokesperson of the CDIB Education and Cultural Affairs Foundation, the initiator of the charity group buying, said the most difficult part of pulling off the event is to get employees to participate voluntarily, but once people recognize the benefits of the charitable event, the subsequent execution becomes relatively easy. An employee of KGI Bank said the charity group buying is appealing in the sense that a small amount of money is enough to help others and buy oneself some quality enjoyment each month, and it’s not burdensome at all. Another employee said that with the CDIB foundation checking and selecting workshops that are truly charitable and pay attention to food safety, she can have peace of mind and the bagels and bread she receives every month taste fantastic. As a regular patron, she brings home a bag of bread every month for breakfast and her family loves it.
The foundation sends out a message to call for participation at the beginning of the year, and many employees make a full-year commitment without hesitation. This has been the case for six straight years. Every month when department representatives collect the products on behalf of their offices, they look like a happy large family united by good food and the fun of group buying.
