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On the morning of May 9, about 300 seniors attending the Hyucheon 1-dong Residents’ Autonomy Committee’s \”2026 Parents’ Day Sharing Festival\” lit up the playground at Yeongju Dongbu Elementary School in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang, with smiles.
Volunteers tended a large cauldron of soup and kept filling plates without pause. Some arranged chairs, while others gently took seniors’ hands and guided them to their seats.
\”Please sit here, Grandma.\” The volunteers sounded warm more than hurried.
What stood out most was that residents organized the entire event. With no public funding, 25 committee members pooled their resources. Members of the Hyucheon 1-dong neighborhood leaders’ council, the Saemaul Association, the women’s association and the local sports club also stepped up to help at the serving tables.
Seniors kept saying \”Thank you\” and \”This is such a joyful day\” as they looked at their warm meals.
Eighty-three-year-old Kim smiled broadly. \”I often eat alone these days,\” he said. \”But with so many people and a performance today, it feels like a celebration.\”
On stage, the Yeongju chapter of the Korea Singers Association opened its celebratory set. When familiar trot tunes played, applause broke out and some seniors rose to dance in their seats.
\”Encore! Encore!\” As the show gained momentum, the crowd warmed. The area in front of the stage turned into an impromptu sing-along. Residents and seniors laughed, clapped and caught up with neighbors they hadn’t seen in a while, their faces bright with joy.
By the end of lunch, empty dishes were piled high, but volunteers looked proud rather than tired. With a single \”See you next year,\” they promised to gather again.
Song Hong-deok, an adviser to the Yeongju chapter of the Korea Singers Association, said he was proud to donate his group’s talent to the meaningful Parents’ Day event and felt rewarded seeing the seniors’ beaming faces.
Shin Ho-cheol, chair of the residents’ committee, said the community came together so seniors wouldn’t feel lonely on Parents’ Day. \”Caring for one another matters more than grand gestures,\” he said.
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