Charity supermarkets in E China's Anhui Province help needy people

Unlike other supermarkets, one in Xuancheng city, east China's Anhui Province "sells" items donated by people for free for those who need the items.

The supermarket is open the whole year. There are no cashiers and the supermarket clerks are volunteers.

A charity supermarket in Chengjiang neighborhood in Xuancheng city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

The charity supermarket was established by several government organizations in Xuancheng and the city's Red Cross Society, on Oct. 20, 2018.

Inside the charity supermarket in Xuancheng city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

There are 13 such supermarkets in the city and the one in the city's Chengjiang neighborhood is the largest.

Wang Chenglong, director of the Chengjiang neighborhood committee, said many people come here to donate stuff, and many others come here to get what they need.

Wang Xuhua (left) fills out a note at a charity supermarket located in Chengjiang neighborhood in Xuancheng city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

On a rainy day, Wang Xuhua, a sanitation worker in Chengjiang neighborhood, went to the neighborhood's charity supermarket when not at work. Wang chose a coat for herself and put it on right after filling out a note.

"Last winter, I got a cotton-padded coat from here, which fit and was warm. This supermarket brings a sense of happiness to my life," said Wang.

A volunteer organizes clothes at a charity supermarket in Xuancheng city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

"In the past, there were not enough volunteers. Since the supermarket opened, I've seen more of them in our neighborhood," said Wang, adding that this shows the continuation of love and charity.

Volunteers organize donated clothes at a charity supermarket. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

A charity supermarket in Langxi county, Xuancheng city which opened in March 2022 is unattended. Local residents take what they need without showing any documents proving they have financial difficulties. The supermarket is hailed as a "distribution center of love" by local residents.

Inside a charity supermarket in Xuancheng city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

Every year, the charity supermarkets receive as many as 50,000 clothing items, and 40,000 of them are brought home by people who need them.