The Southern California charity organization “Simply Help Foundation” has been donating overseas relief containers globally since its establishment in 2000, assisting homeless individuals and cancer patients within the United States. On December 16 (Monday), the founder and president of “Simply Help,” Xiao Dai Bao Pan, held a press conference announcing the successful delivery of 51 fully stocked relief containers to nine countries during 2023 and 2024, benefiting disadvantaged populations affected by conflict or natural disasters.
Since the Myanmar military took control of the country on February 1, 2021, local poverty has worsened, leading to a large number of citizens fleeing to Thailand. During nearly five years of military rule, with indirect involvement from China, many conflicts have erupted in border towns between Thailand and Myanmar. The “Simply Help Foundation” has been assisting Myanmar through the local Thabarwa Meditation Center in Thanlyin.
Numerous elderly, patients, disabled individuals, and children in Myanmar have received care at various “Thabarwa Centers” thanks to the donations from Simply Help Foundation, enabling people to survive in the most dire circumstances in Myanmar. Xiao Dai Bao Pan expressed that despite the challenging process of fundraising, organizing, and shipping goods, these containers filled with essential supplies and medical resources carry the love and blessings of the Chinese community in Southern California, heading towards distant countries, bringing her immense satisfaction.
Of the containers, 26 were delivered to war-torn Myanmar, dispersed throughout the affected population by the monks at Thabarwa Centers. Currently, the “Thabarwa Centers” are present in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Italy, and the United States, accommodating individuals of all ages, health conditions, mental health issues, alcoholism, as well as elderly people who are stroke victims, physically disabled, and lack care.
Additionally, 25 relief containers were shipped to the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere such as Haiti and countries in the Caribbean region including Saint Vincent, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Saint Lucia, Nauru, and El Salvador, totaling nine countries.
Xiao Dai Bao Pan stated, “Whether it’s a bag of rice or a pair of shoes, it can bring warmth and hope to those in need.” She extended her special thanks to the supporting manufacturers, dedicated volunteers, and the diplomatic and consulate staff who assisted in handling shipping operations. She emphasized that it is through the collective effort of everyone involved that such a charitable initiative could be successfully accomplished.
Adhering to the motto of “Relief Containers of Love Steering Across the Globe,” the “Simply Help Foundation” has spared no effort in international relief efforts over the past 24 years. In recent years, the foundation has extended its care to homeless individuals and terminally ill patients in nursing homes within the United States, launching the “Warm Bodies, Warm Hearts Initiative.” Volunteers assemble items like warm clothing, hats, blankets, masks, wind and insect-proof warm tents into “Warmth Gift Packages” delivered to those in need.
Xiao Dai Bao Pan was moved by the increasing inflation in the United States, mounting life pressures, escalating homelessness issues, and rising medical costs, hindering many cancer patients from receiving proper care. Therefore, she has been actively promoting programs for homeless individuals and cancer patients, hoping for continued support from the overseas community and businesses to not only steer the “Relief Containers of Love Across the Globe” but also sustain the “Warm Bodies, Warm Hearts” initiative within the United States. ◇