An elderly woman poses with a "Leave-home safe" compatible smartphone donated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced on Saturday the injection of HK$100 million into its COVID-19 Emergency Fund to provide urgent needs to people hard-hit by the pandemic.

"Hong Kong is facing an unprecedented challenge, with many people in the community urgently needing our help to protect themselves and feed their families," according to a press release that quoted the club's chairman Philip Chen as saying. 

Hong Kong is facing an unprecedented challenge, with many people in the community urgently needing our help to protect themselves and feed their families.

  Philip Chen, HKJC chairman

Founded in 2020, the fund aims to provide fast-track grants to NGOs offering essential services to people hard-hit by the pandemic. 

"Clearly the coming weeks will be very challenging. But we must always remember that we are in this together," Chen said. "So we must help each other and we must stay positive. Only together can we overcome."

READ MORE: Li Ka Shing Foundation pledges HK$30m for anti-virus efforts

The additional funding will be used in services including emotional support for those in distress, providing essential daily necessities to those suffering from financial hardship, and urgent assistance to people hardest hit by the pandemic, especially low-income families with young children, the disabled and the elderly, the club said.

The application period for fund will start from Feb 21 and last until the end of June 2022.

Together with this latest funding, the club's Charities Trust has approved over HK$1.6 billion in funding to support pandemic relief initiatives over the past two years, with over one million people benefiting. 

Hong Kong Jockey Club helpers pack masks to be donated to children in need. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Previous initiates included the distribution of data plans and SIM cards to 100,000 underprivileged students to support online learning, the provision of care packs to the homebound elderly and food assistance programs.

Recently, the club has supported the distribution of "Leave-home safe" compatible smartphones and data plans to approximately 20,000 elderly people.

ALSO READ: Jockey Club donates HK$10m to anti-coronavirus link