Friday in Independence, a Buddhist group called the Tzu Chi Foundation gathered at the county administration center to help those left in need after the Independence floods in July. The Tzu Chi Foundation is an international charity group out of Taiwan that provides humanitarian support around the world.

The foundation staff brought blankets made of re-cycled plastic bottles to help out in Independence, but more importantly they brought cash. Tzu Chi volunteers offered debit cards for flood victims. The debit cards were good for $200-500 depending on the need.

Benett Kessler caught up with Peter Chang. Hes out the U.S. Tzu Chi headquarters in San Dimas. Tzu Chi means serving with compassion, in Chinese. Yang explained that the foundation responds to disasters around the world from El Salvador, Brazil and Mexico, to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and now Independence.

Yang explained that the philosophy of the Tzu Chi Foundation is colorblind to religion. gender or race. “As long as there is a need, we go there.

Yang was unsure how the foundation heard about the floods in Independence, but either way, he said the group was just there to help out.

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