Some supermarkets, grain shops, barbershops, community hospitals and charging outlets are providing free door-to-door service to the elderly at many communities in Daowai district, Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province.

"We will send the products required promptly once you make a call at home!" said Feng Zhiqiang, a supermarket owner in Hangyun Community.

"Around the supermarket there are several nursing homes where hundreds of old people live. I got the idea of home delivery after discovering many of them are unable to get out and about," he added.

Soon, Feng Zhiqiang joined the "Volunteer Caring Enterprise Alliance" in the community, an organization that provides residents with voluntary door-to-door services such as hairdressing, free medical service, rice & flour delivery, and payment assistance for utility fees.

At the beginning of this year, Hangyun Community successively established many volunteer groups including the "Eight-Caring Voluntary Service Team" for empty nesters and migrant workers, a volunteer legal team and a medical team to meet the demands of residents in the community.

Volunteers can also be granted "caring stars" shown below their pictures on the community bulletin board.

Yu Zhenhua, director of the Daxing Street office, said that volunteers can get one star for five hours of service, and the office will recommend the top three volunteers get more stars from the city and district every year.

To date, there are 136,000 registered volunteers in Daowai district and over 1,000 volunteer teams.