Shenzhen's municipal civil affairs bureau has started building a warehouse in Nanshan District to store articles donated for charity.

The warehouse and offices are expected to cost 19 million yuan (US$2.3 million). The work, which started Wednesday, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

It will be used to store clothing, bedding, daily necessities as well as secondhand electrical appliances.

The city established a management and service center under the municipal civil affairs bureau to take care of charity donations at the beginning of 2002, a Shenzhen Economic Daily report said.

Over the past three years, the center had received 5.18 articles of clothing from Shenzhen residents and raised 4.72 million yuan, said Liu Runhua, director general of the municipal civil affairs bureau.

The public donations had greatly helped people living below the poverty line, said Liu.

The existing warehouse was not big enough with the public continuing to make donations, Liu was quoted as saying.

The new five-floor warehouse will cover 7,554 square meters, with a basement. Administration offices will be built next door.

After completion, the warehouse will become the logistics center for public donations, as well as the distribution point, said Liu.
Wei Jie

Editor: Catherine