The Republic of Xiyuan and Tang Baobao collaborate for the first time to open a sheltered workshop
The Wish Republic, which promotes local coarse grain crops, and the Down Syndrome Foundation have collaborated for the first time, opening the "Love Without Nagging" sheltered workshop at the MRT Nangang Exhibition Center, combining the love of farmers with the dedication of Down syndrome youths. Wish Republic director Shih Ming-huang and Down Syndrome Foundation chairman Lin Cheng-hsia hope the public will give plenty of encouragement. If you love, don't nag!
Love Without Nagging, Embracing Local Agriculture and Down Syndrome Youths
"Yuanyuan, do you know which button to press next?" "I know, first press '1', then press 'start', right." With focused eyes, her finger presses firmly on "start", the noodle machine rumbles around two or three times, and out from the blades come noodle strands one by one. Yuanyuan carefully folds the long noodles into little balls and places them in a box. These are noodles made by Yuanyuan, who has an intellectual disability, together with her teacher, and it is also the first time she has had a work option other than a convenience store.
In the corner between exits 5 and 6 of the MRT Nangang Exhibition Center Station, in the tiny shop bearing the words "Love Without Nagging", all kinds of cookies, bread and noodles made from Taiwan's local wheat are displayed. Inside, many people with physical or mental disabilities, or Down syndrome youths like Yuanyuan, earnestly explain products to customers and make noodles on site.
The sheltered workshop "Love Without Nagging", a collaboration between the Wish Republic and the Down Syndrome Foundation, finished its renovation at the end of December last year and officially opened this morning, billing itself as selling local agricultural processed products and making fresh noodles on site. The unique shop name makes many customers curious. In fact, besides calling on everyone to turn "love" from a noun into a verb, "Love Without Nagging" is also a transliteration of the Spanish word "ABRAZO", meaning "embrace". It is hoped that every passenger hurrying through the MRT station can stop for a moment, give these Down syndrome youths a chance, and give themselves a chance to get to know Taiwan's local agriculture.
Just as the Wish Republic's slogan goes: "Everyone can do one thing for agriculture." The sheltered workshop has Union Chemical supplying flour and technical guidance, the Down Syndrome Foundation coaching store sales and employment for Down syndrome youths, and Wish Republic providing local wheat, soybean and coarse grain products. This not only gives Down syndrome youths employment opportunities but also lets more city dwellers come into contact with local agriculture, creating a "no distinction between farm and city" production and sales platform.
The shop has many noodles made from local wheat. Director Shih Ming-huang calls on city residents to work together for Taiwan's food self-sufficiency rate