Charity kitchen serves rice at the table, changing dishes every day

A delicious meal that helps the needy save tens of thousands of dong - Photo: XUAN DOAN

People in difficult circumstances are warmly welcomed by the "Love Kitchen" team with the motto "give love, receive smiles".

Table service

"Customers" who come to eat at "Love Kitchen" are mainly the elderly, poor children, lottery ticket sellers, construction workers, motorbike taxi drivers...

Mr. Xuyen (motorbike taxi driver) often comes here for lunch, he praises the delicious food.

Mr. Xuyen (65 years old) said he drives a motorbike taxi in Lai Thieu area, his wife sells lottery tickets. For the past month, he and his wife have come here for lunch every day. "I haven't been able to make any trips this morning, thanks to this place, I've saved 30,000 VND on eating out. The food here is delicious and clean" - Mr. Xuyen said.

Mr. Chanh (75 years old, living in Binh Nham ward) said he has suffered from polyarthritis for more than ten years. Based on a neighbor's recommendation, he cycled all the way to Lai Thieu to try the food. What surprised him was that when he arrived, seeing that he had difficulty walking, someone immediately helped him sit at the table and brought out the food.

Coming to "The Kitchen of Love", those who are elderly or have difficulty walking just need to sit at the table and the staff will serve them right there. Those who are healthier can line up to receive their rice. After eating, there is cold iced tea, and sometimes fruit for dessert.

A meal from the Charity Kitchen. Some meals will have desserts like bananas, watermelons…

"The Kitchen of Love" also changes its menu every day. A tray of rice will have a rotating savory dish each day such as braised chicken, meatballs, braised pork with tofu, braised pork with shrimp... accompanied by vegetables, soup...

For some cases where people cannot travel, the kitchen will coordinate with the Lai Thieu Ward Red Cross to verify and someone will bring food.

Red Cross members also came to support the Charity Kitchen.

Give love, receive smiles

"Charity kitchen - 0 VND meals" is the cherished wish of Mr. Tran Van Tuan (46 years old, residing in Lai Thieu ward) for many years, officially established on June 18, 2024.

Mr. Tuan shared that he has the "blood" for charity inherited from his mother. He once intended to establish a nursing home to care for the elderly. However, for some reasons, that plan was stopped.

But with "blood" in him, he did not give up.

A crowded meal at the Charity Kitchen

To have "Kitchen of Love", Mr. Tuan invested about 1 billion VND to repair and rebuild the premises... Every month he pays 10 million VND to rent the premises, every day he spends nearly 10 million VND to buy food to cook for the people.

Staff and family members are mobilized to serve the kitchen and each person has a clear task. In addition, each meal has members of the Lai Thieu Ward Red Cross to help. The kitchen operates from 11am to 12:30pm from Monday to Friday.

Every noon from Monday to Friday, the Charity Kitchen serves hundreds of meals.

Mr. Tuan said that in the early days of establishment, the plan was to serve about 300 meals per day, but then the number of people coming to eat increased rapidly and now has increased to more than 600 meals.

Some people wanted to contribute, but he firmly refused to accept any financial support. Anyone who wanted to support basic necessities like rice, vegetables, and fruits could bring them.

Mr. Tuan said that when the kitchen is stable, he will start cooking rice to support the poor in hospitals.

"Now I'm working in this kitchen like I'm running a test drive to get used to it. Once I'm stable, I'll cook for the nearby hospitals. There are people from all over the world, poor people who don't have money to eat and are sick, spending a lot of money on hospital bills. I have a lot of plans, but I'm afraid I won't have enough strength to do it" - Mr. Tuan shared.

Recalling the early days when she heard Mr. Tuan propose opening a free kitchen to serve the poor, Ms. Huynh Thi Thanh Tam - president of the Red Cross Society of Lai Thieu ward - said the society enthusiastically supported because she knew a delicious, free meal was what the people needed.

And when the kitchen was in operation, members of the Association also took turns helping with organization, serving, washing dishes...

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bep-com-nghia-tinh-phuc-vu-tan-ban-doi-mon-moi-ngay-20240722092333376.htm