Super Typhoon Ragasa brought torrential rain that devastated eastern Taiwan. A barrier lake breach in Hualien has left 14 dead and 31 missing, with search and rescue operations still underway in full force. Chung Mei Pharmaceutical Group, which will mark its 90th anniversary next year, immediately activated its emergency support mechanism in line with its philosophy of “corporate co-good and self-directed health care,” partnering with the Tzu Chi Foundation to assemble 1,430 “health care packs” for rapid delivery to the disaster area via Tzu Chi volunteers. Lin Ming-chuan (林命權), Chairman of Chung Mei Pharmaceutical Group, said the health care packs contain common over-the-counter medications — including cold medicine, pain relievers, stomach medicine, skin medication, and laxatives — allowing disaster-area residents to quickly relieve minor physical discomfort.
Facing the severe damage in Hualien, Li A-li (李阿利), President of Chung Mei Pharmaceutical Group, said: “As a company that has been rooted in Taiwan for nearly ninety years, we have a responsibility to lend a hand right away, drawing on Chung Mei’s expertise to meet the urgent needs of disaster-area residents. Each health care pack, fully stocked with essential medications, represents our care for disaster victims and volunteers alike. Providing short-term supplies is something Chung Mei can help with directly; in the medium term, Tzu Chi has already mobilized volunteers to help clear out homes, and in the long term, we will also accompany and assist disaster-area residents in rebuilding their homes.” Sister A-li, who is both a business owner and a certified Tzu Chi commissioner, also sincerely called on more businesses to respond, starting from what they do best, joining together to turn small acts of kindness into great compassion, and helping the residents of Hualien’s disaster areas get through this difficulty as soon as possible.
On the morning of September 25, 50 Tzu Chi volunteers gathered together to help pack the 1,430 health care packs prepared by Chung Mei Pharmaceutical Group. President Li A-li, Chairman Lin Ming-chuan, and Brand Director Lin Yi-lin (林宜琳) of Chung Mei Pharmaceutical Group personally took part in assembling the health care packs, aiming to deliver them to the Ruisui supply distribution station within the 36-hour window set by Dharma Master Cheng Yen when the project launched. Chung Mei employees and Tzu Chi volunteers cheered each other on at the scene, and the warm atmosphere moved everyone present.
Lin Yi-lin, Brand Director, who grew up in a Tzu Chi family and has taken part in numerous disaster relief efforts at home and abroad, shared that when a major disaster strikes, disaster victims usually retreat to temporary safe shelters. From her past experience with disaster relief distributions, Lin observed that the most common issues among disaster victims are colds, headaches, body aches, and wound care needs. This kind of care and self-management falls exactly within Chung Mei Pharmaceutical Group’s area of expertise — OTC (over-the-counter) medications — which is why Chung Mei specifically designed the health care packs with this focus for the disaster front lines. These medications require no doctor’s prescription and can quickly relieve common physical discomfort, helping ease the strain on the disaster area’s limited medical resources. Lin, who is also a certified Tzu Chi commissioner, brought her two young children along to join the health-pack assembly line, so that they could learn from an early age to care for the land they grew up in through concrete action, contributing their own small strength to light up not only themselves but others as well. Lin herself also signed up for Tzu Chi’s Typhoon Ragasa cleanup mobilization and is looking forward to joining the ranks of volunteers.
Last year, Chung Mei Pharmaceutical Group signed a “Corporate Co-Good Cooperation Agreement” with Tzu Chi, providing 1,362 health care packs to support volunteers from various countries carrying out international disaster relief missions, going deep into disaster zones on the front lines and staying until the very end. This year, due to the severe damage in Hualien’s Guangfu Township, the group immediately decided to prioritize post-disaster relief, delivering health care packs and care to local residents through the hands of Tzu Chi volunteers, doing everything possible to help the people of Guangfu Township get through this crisis. Looking ahead, Chung Mei Pharmaceutical Group will continue deepening its cooperation with Tzu Chi and advancing more corporate co-good initiatives, so that this force for good can continue without end. The company hopes to inspire more Taiwanese enterprises to start from their own areas of expertise, combine their corporate resources, and jointly practice acts of “goodness” in society — a direction that aligns with the global ESG trend and helps achieve sustainable development rooted in care for local communities.
