A charity event was hold in Beijing on Monday to raise social awareness of “left behind" children ahead of Children’s Day on June 1.

There are about 61 million “left-behind children” in rural areas in China. These are children whose parents have left to find work in cities.

The event was held to raise money from enterprises and individuals to prepare “love bags”, which contain items for those children, including books, torches, and envelopes and stamps so that children can write letters to their parents.

The Hong Foundation, a public charity foundation created by Chen Weihong, a television celebrity in China, and affiliated to China Social Welfare Foundation, initiated the event.

“Usually, left-behind children will be cared for by elderly grandparents or relatives, and they need to be in touch with their parents," said Chen Wehong.

“We hope our love bags will help them communicate with their parents, and make them happier.”

The event raised more than 3 million yuan ($490,107). The “love bags” cost 99 yuan.