Shanghai Daily news

The Baoshan Road Community in Zhabei District has opened a charity supermarket to ease the burden of the community's poorest people.
Supported by the Baoshan Road Community Office, the 100-square-meter non-profit supermarket opened on February 1 to provide goods for destitute families.
It is the biggest of the district's nine charity supermarkets.
Goods in the supermarket are day-to-day necessities as well as second-hand items such as clothes and books donated by locals.
The supermarket is open to all, but coupons issued from the community office entitle destitute families to free goods.
One of the beneficiaries, 80-year-old Wang Kaiwen, said he was grateful to his community.
"Since my wife and two sons passed away, I have been living on a government subsidy - a monthly allowance of 290 yuan (US$34.94). But life has not been easy," he said. "Now the special supermarket is providing a haven for the people with little to spend."
The first batch of beneficiaries consisted of people like Wang living on the government's minimum allowance and those who suffer financial difficulty because of a family member's disability or disease.
Coupons worth 1,000 yuan, along with 100 articles of clothing, 66 packs of rice and 66 bottles of cooking oil, have been given to 300 needy families.
The low prices of the goods mean that even poor people not receiving coupons can lower their daily expenditure.
In the past, low-income families received aid from the local government only during festivals.
"The operation of the charity supermarket is expected to form a long-term and sustainable solution for those in need," said Zhou Hongfang, an official from the Baoshan Road Community Office.
She said residents, companies and organizations had donated more than 90,000 yuan in the last two months.
"I am glad to see many of our community residents have offered a helping hand. Charity is not a matter of how much is donated, but a matter of whether or not one is willing to show concern for those in need," she said.
A community Website (http://www.bsljd.cn/cs/index.htm) was launched on February 1 to let more people know about the supermarket.
The Website includes an introduction to the supermarket, latest news of charity activities, and touching stories among the community residents.
Zhou said 125 party members and middle-school students have registered online to become shop volunteers.
Volunteers need to help with all general shop duties, such as sorting goods and serving customers.
"Apart from the supermarket, we are mapping out a number of measures and seeking co-operative activities to help the poor," said Zhang Zhong, vice director of the community's civil affair office.
Poor people rarely go to a doctor because of the cost.
So the Baoshan Road Community Health Service Center has begun to provide cut-price medical checks, such as blood and X-ray tests, for the community's poor elders. The center gives 30 percent discount on fees.
In addition, Asia Pacific Great Wall Law Firm (Shanghai) has offered to provide legal-aid services worth 10,400 yuan for those in need, in order to ensure low-income people have equal access to justice when they encounter civil legal problems in their lives.
Zhang said the poor's spiritual life and psychological problems should not be overlooked. Poor people often exclude themselves from society because of their financial inadequacy. A sense of inferiority and depression plagues many poor people, which increases their estrangement from society.
"We are in talks with Zhabei No.5 Middle School in our community. The school's psychological consulting teachers are going to interview, test and advise the community's poor people how to deal with the problems of everyday life," he said.
Zhou said the ultimate aim of the charity activities in the community goes beyond just alleviating the poor's financial and spiritual burdens.
"By bringing community members together, a sense of community is fostered and the overall image of our community is improved," she said.