In August 2011, Zhang Daming, senior partner of the Shenzhen Office of JT&N, donated 50,000 yuan in the name of JT&N to the Free Lunch Fund under the China Social Welfare Foundation (CSWF). The contribution, together with another 500,000 yuan donated by the alumni of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKSGB), will be specially used to fund the ‘Free Lunches’ project for the students of five primary schools in Liangshan, Sichuan: Weiluo Primary School, Qiaowo Township, Puge County; Tujiang Village Primary School, Baima Township, Xichang City; Qianjin School, Zeyue Township, Xide County; Central Primary School of Caizi Village, Puge County; and Shuanglongba Primary School of Jinyang County. So far, two of the primary schools have been provided with free lunches, while free lunches for the other three schools will also be provided in the near future. Mr. Zhang hopes that other colleagues will provide support for this project.
The Free Lunch Fund is a public welfare program which was jointly initiated by over 500 journalists including Deng Fei, a well-known journalist with Phoenix Weekly, and supported by CSWF. It aims to provide free lunches for the poor children in China, calling for contributions of three yuan per day. Since it was launched on April 2, 2011, the Fund has won the support of many media outlets both at home and abroad. To date, about RMB9.3 million has been donated to the Free Lunches Project, which provided financial support for 20 schools in poverty-stricken rural areas across China.