HOUSTON, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Houston Food Bank, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger relief charities, has hailed the women diplomats from the Chinese Consulate General in Houston for their work as volunteers to pack and redistribute food to local communities.
The charity was jointly organized by Kathy Hubbard, wife of Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and the Consular Ladies Club of Houston, a 15-member group led by Chinese Consul General Li Qiangmin's wife Zeng Hongyan.
Their work was fully appreciated by Hubbard and employees of the organization.
Hubbard said she was deeply impressed by their passion, when they could stay at home but they chose to help those who have not enough to eat.
Betsy Ballard, chief communication officer for the Houston Food Bank, said she was also touched by the Chinese diplomats.
"We are delighted that the Chinese delegation is represented here today. ... It's wonderful to see that the friendship between our two countries extends right here to us in Houston, and to the people that we serve, to the people who are unable to eat on a daily basis," Ballard told Xinhua.
The Chinese women diplomats said that it was worth participating in the charity activities as it is a very meaningful experience to learn about the U.S. charity, show their willingness to help and therefore help further the China-U.S. friendship.
"Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the United States recently. Both Xi and U.S. President (Barack) Obama emphasized that we should further consolidate the new model of major-country relationship. We need action to make that happen. As a diplomat, we should all start doing something, such as participating in these activities. Meanwhile, we can show that the Chinese people care about others," said Zeng.
The Houston Food Bank, the largest food donation foundation in Houston, was founded in 1982 with the mission of "leading the fight against hunger."
Each year, the food bank, which has 200 employees and attracts more than 60,000 volunteers, can serve as many as 800,000 people by providing them with 74, 000,000 nutrition meals.
