The “Leopard Cat Mom”, a mascot family of 2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition, made its debut in Taichung on the 21st, accompanying Mayor Lin Chia-lung and his wife, Ms. Liao Wan-ru, to Eden Sheltered Workshop to make moon cakes. With about 10 years of experience, Mayor Lin showed to be very skillful. “The sales target this year is 65,000 boxes, and 53,000 of them have been ordered”, said Mayor Lin, ”Get it when it’s still here!”
One of the mascots of the Flora Expo the “Leopard Cat Mom” made its debut in Taichung the 21st. As a baker, she accompanied Mayor Lin, Mrs. Lin, Director of Social Welfare Bureau Lu Jian-de, and Director of the Department of Labor Huang Ho-ting visiting the Eden Sheltered Workshop at Tanzi to make moon cakes together. Legislator Hung Tzu-yung also joined them to promote the charity moon cakes.
A Chinese proverb says, ”My heart grows fonder of faraway loved ones on lonely festive days.” As for Mayor Lin, he thinks of disability groups when it comes to Mid-Autumn Festival.
By drawing attention to the moon cakes, Lin hopes the publics can help to encourage the people with special needs to make their living. Moreover, the food safety is assured since the moon cakes are made under strict regulations. This year, the sales target is 65,000 boxes, yet only 12,000 boxes are still available. The Mayor urged people to seize the chance “to buy love moon cakes for the loved one.”
Legislator Hung Tzu-yung expressed that the Mid-Autumn Festival is an important festival for Taiwanese. Some enterprises would present these charity moon cakes to minority groups at schools in rural areas. It’s a twofer that gives minorities a chance to make their homes while making the festival more meaningful.
“Moon cake is definitely Eden’s specialty,” said Huang Zhuo-song, CEO of Eden Social Welfare Foundation. Eden moon cakes are not only tasty but healthy by using low-calorie, high-quality ingredients, and additive-free. Due to their insistence, the moon cakes must be low-temperature distributed. Once 35,000 boxes were delivered in room temperature ended up being discarded. “Quality is our first priority.”

Led by the “chief” of the workshop, these visitors made moon cakes together. They put the stuffing on the cake skins, and spin them continuously until the stuffing was wrapped by the cake skins evenly. Mayor Lin, Mrs. Lin, Director Huang, and more showed to be very skillful in making them. And the Leopard Cat Mom gave them a thump up at one side. However, the moon cakes made by Director Lu were topsy-turvy. He was required a “detention” by his partners. Everybody broke into laughter in an intimate atmosphere.

Director Lu expressed that although these are small boxed of moon cakes only, they are the opportunities for people with special needs to make their own living. At present, there are 27 institutions and sheltered workshops for people with special needs, where they learn to make moon cakes and handmade biscuits. It is hoped that these people with special needs can learn to master a professional skill, with some assistance, they can get job opportunities to make their own living.

Huang Ho-ting, the Director of Labor Department expressed that a sheltered workshop is a simulated workplace. It provides opportunities to people with special needs with mental and physical conditions that are willing to work but unable to get any. It is a place providing people with special needs short-term on the job training and cultivation of work attitudes. During their training, they will have their potentialities unblocked and foundation established. Therefore, they can get stable jobs in the workplace in the future. When the general public in the society purchase their products implies that they are accepted in the society with their work ability. She advocated people to place order at their earlies convenience.

The Department of Social Welfare expressed that it hopes people can place their orders as soon as possible to give the people with special need groups and sheltered workshop to planned in advance and make the scheduled quantity of moon cakes. For more information on the products or place order, please visit the website of the Labor Department (http://www.society.taichung.gov.tw/index.asp).

Moon cake order hotline:
(1) Taichung Lotus Heart Service Association – Tel.: 2680-5843
(2) Shifang Empowerment Center, Shihfang Culture and Education Foundation for the Mentally Challenged – Tel.: 2239-3008 (Ms. Yang or Ms. Luo)
(3) Taichung Deaflife Foundation (Deaflife Bakery) – Tel.: 2233-2525 (Ms. Luo)
(4) Taichung City Welfare for the Disabled Foundation (Smile Angel Bakery) – Tel.: 2406-4321 (Mr. Lin)
(5) Eden Social Welfare Foundation:
Eden Social Welfare Foundation affiliated Taichung City Canaan Bakery and Sheltered Workshop – Tel.: 2296-2884 ext. 101 & 332
Eden Social Welfare Foundation affiliated Tanzi Sheltered Workshop for the Mentally Challenged – Tel.: 2535-5318
(6) Maria Social Welfare Foundation – Tel.: 2471-5800 or 2471-3535 ext. 1166, 1167 & 1168
(7) St. Coletta Empowerment Center, Catholic Taichung Diocese – Tel.: 2202-8888