The Christmas tree located in the front court of Far Eastern Department Store, Tainan, was officially lit up in the evening of December 3rd 2024. Including Hualien County, the epicenter of 3rd April 2024 Hualien Earthquake in Taiwan, there were 150 students from 10 rural schools invited to attend the Ceremony. In attendance of Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-Cher, Far Eastern Group Chairman Douglas Hsu, and Far Eastern Department Stores President Nancy Hsu, all children received a Christmas gift during the ceremony.
Except 320 pairs of new sneakers which were donated by the public, they also received new jackets by Tainan City Hall, and new backpacks by FEDS. One of the principals mentioned in her speech that some of the children haven’t been to a department store until today. Hence this event truly brought them unforgettable joy and inspirations. This is the 16th edition of the Far Eastern Department Store Tainan’s shoe raising charity event in the holiday season. Started from raising 100 pairs of sneakers at the first event, it has raised over 4,200 pairs of sneakers in 16 years. The sprits of ‘Love Sharing’ has spread out successfully and ‘It’s a wonderful fulfilment of corporate social responsibility’ said Nancy Hsu.
In addition to attending the lighting ceremony in the evening, the children also had a one-day tour in the city. They visited the De-Yang warship in An-ping District, enjoyed a five-star hotel buffet lunch at Far Eastern Shangri-La Hotel in Tainan, and had wood-fired grilled steak for dinner. There were a group of Santa who were dressed up by high school students spreading out joy and happiness. The post office even launched a limited edition ‘Tainan Christmas Post Office,’ offering on-site mail collection services and stamping the letters with a Christmas commemorative postmark to spread the spirit of Christmas.