The anniversary of K-pop sensation BTS (Bangtan Boys) is coming up on June 13.
And fans of the group, known as ARMYs (Adorable Representative MC for Youth), have been stepping up to the occasion by doing some good.
Organising a food and donation drive
On June 8, a Twitter account by the handle of @btsborahaeteam tweeted photos of a food and donation drive by BTS fans that had been organised in collaboration with Food Bank Singapore.
💜BTS 6TH ANNIVERSARY DONATION PROJECT💜#BorahaeBundles @BTS_twt
— Borahae Team ⁷ (@btsborahaeteam) June 8, 2019
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Hello everyone! We have come to the end of the FoodBank project in honour of BTS’s 6th Anniv. Special thanks to those who gave us support and contributed in making the project a success! Thanks all 💜💜 pic.twitter.com/gd5FDgSBJt
According to an earlier tweet on June 1, a total of 136 food bundles were distributed, put together with some S$2,050 in donations.
The fans came together to pack the bundles at Moral Seniors Activity Centre at Bedok North.
Photos from a separate tweet suggested that these were distributed to people living in flats.
I had a great time packing the food, walking unit to unit, and having conversations with lovely lovely lovely ARMYs!! 💜💜🥺💕💕💕✨✨ Thank you so much for today!! Can’t wait for more meaningful events with ARMYs!! (ctto) pic.twitter.com/VWNJYnloX2
— ᴮᴱ天空的孩子⁷ (@iipalsamgoo) June 8, 2019
In total, the campaign appears to have run for about three months, given that it was first announced by the Borahae Team on March 5.
💜BTS 6TH ANNIVERSARY DONATION PROJECT💜
— Borahae Team ⁷ (@btsborahaeteam) March 5, 2019
We aim to raise funds through ‘Food Bank SG’ which will be distributed to channels such as VWOs, charities and soup kitchens,or a chosen beneficiary.
➖
How to donate & for more details⬇️
Link: https://t.co/0BKaLzu6Se#BORAHAEBUNDLES pic.twitter.com/woPh0qklA9
Fandom harnessed for good
This is not the first time BTS fans in Singapore have organised charity drives.
Earlier, in February, BTS fan group Bulletproof Singapore jointly organised an event called “A spoonful of Suga and Hope” with SASCO Senior Citizens’ Home to raise money for the elderly.
The event was organised as part of celebrations for the birthdays of J-Hope and Suga, two of the group’s members, and took place in the form of a cafe event that was run by senior citizens, at the Give n Take Cafe in Khatib.
What's in the name Borahae?
You probably might have noticed that the tweets by the Borahae team makes extensive use of purple hearts.
For BTS fans, this comes from a phrase coined by one of its group members, V (Kim Tae-hyung), as a play on the Korean word for purple (bora) and the phrase for "I love you" (saranghae).
Borahae therefore literally translates as "I purple you."
As per Kim's own explanation:
'Purple is the last color of the rainbow colors so it means i will trust and love u for a long time' - Taehyung 🐯💜 pic.twitter.com/5A22zMKflm
— taehyung pics⚡️ (@taehyungpic) April 27, 2017
Previously made unsuccessful attempt to raise funds for BTS bus advertisement
Interestingly, the Borahae team previously made an attempt to raise funds for a BTS bus advertisement in May 2017, ahead of the group's August 2017 concert here.
They offered donors a fan pack, with the type of merchandise inside contingent on the amount they donated.
https://twitter.com/btsborahaeteam/status/869044214591442945?s=19
They eventually gave up on the effort in July:
https://twitter.com/btsborahaeteam/status/885452261672886273
But that's not to say it didn't stop fans from making another similar, and perhaps slightly less ambitious, attempt this year, that was eventually pulled off successfully.
Top image from BTS Borahaeteam Twitter
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