1,000 free vegetarian meals are given away every day.

Every day, regardless of rain or shine, people in Lane 15 Phuong Mai (Dong Da, Hanoi) are familiar with the image of a volunteer group in green aprons diligently preparing and sending 1,000 free vegetarian meals to people in difficult circumstances in Hanoi.

Warm hearts with free meals

At exactly 10:00 a.m. every day from Monday to Sunday, the back gate of Bach Mai Hospital is bustling with the laughter of a group of people wearing green aprons, they are busy, each person has a job, some pick vegetables, some cut fruit, some cook rice, some stand in the kitchen. They are volunteers of the An Vui 0 Dong Vegetarian Kitchen, part of the An Vui Charity group.

They are of diverse ages and occupations, some are students, some are working, some have gray hair, they come here, meet each other and join hands to create values, kindness and warmth for life through vegetarian meals priced at 0 VND.

Volunteers divide up the work to deliver the meals on time. Photo: Mai Huong

It is known that the ingredients to make vegetarian meals are completely supported by donors. Ms. Nguyen Le Phuong Thao (26 years old, Hanoi), a volunteer, said that every day, the kitchen receives food from donors, from rice, vegetables, spices, all of which are vegetarian... and delivered to the place. After receiving the food, the group will work together to plan the menu for the next day, cooking whatever is supported.

“We will create a menu based on the donated food. Each meal will have a savory dish such as stir-fried mushrooms, banana stewed with beans, and a soup such as squash soup or jute soup. However, the group will try to diversify those foods so they don’t get bored,” said Ms. Thao.

The menu will be planned the day before, based on the donated food. Photo: Mai Huong

At exactly 2:30 p.m., after completing the menu, hundreds of people lined up to receive rice. Most of them were people in difficult circumstances, including patients, patients' relatives, poor students, and manual laborers.

According to Ms. Thao, although the group chose to distribute rice at 2:30 p.m., a different time from many other kitchens, they still received support from many uncles and aunts.

The reason for choosing that time frame is because most of the group's volunteers are young people who go to work in the morning and come here at noon to cook. These meals will be saved by the uncles and aunts for dinner.

Each person who comes to receive rice will bring a lunch box or plastic box. Photo: Duy Nghia

Especially when receiving rice, each person has a box and a lunch box in their hand. “An Vui Vegetarian Kitchen will not use styrofoam boxes or plastic spoons to hold rice, but each person will be given a plastic box that can be reused many times to hold rice. Doing so will both protect people's health and the environment, and limit littering,” Ms. Thao confided.

Mr. Le Quang Tuan (Nam Dinh) is taking care of a relative at the Department of Psychiatry, Bach Mai Hospital. He has been receiving meals for nearly a month. He learned about An Vui Kitchen through previous hospital patients. He feels lucky: "I am so happy to see young people doing meaningful activities like this. The meals you cook are delicious, helping me and others save a lot of money, especially those who have been in the hospital for a long time."

Each meal is filled with love from An Vui Vegetarian Kitchen. Photo: Duy Nghia

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Chien (Hoa Binh) said: "Those of us who have relatives being treated at the hospital are in the same difficult situation. My husband had his rectum removed, and every month I have to take him to Hanoi for treatment three times, which is very expensive. Receiving meals from the enthusiastic, thoughtful, and cheerful volunteers makes me feel wonderful."

Join hands to spread good values

Understanding the difficult circumstances of people from far away who have to go to Hanoi for medical treatment, which costs a lot of money, Ms. Dieu Duc Lac - Head of Thien Nguyen An Vui Group established An Vui 0 Dong Vegetarian Kitchen.

According to Ms. Dieu Duc Lac, with the goal of "Giving love is love that lasts forever", each meal is the group's affection for people in difficult circumstances, the less fortunate in society, demonstrating the spirit of "the whole leaves cover the torn leaves".

Each session will have 20-30 volunteers participating in cooking. Photo: Phuong Thao

Although newly opened, An Vui 0 Dong Vegetarian Kitchen has received a lot of attention from everyone. Every day, about 20-30 volunteers join.

Khong Thuy Hanh (University of Science and Technology) felt happy when she learned about An Vui: “I accidentally learned about the kitchen through a friend’s introduction. Although I have only been working in the kitchen for a week, the values ​​I have received are countless.

I get to meet people with kind hearts, I get to prepare meals filled with love with my own hands. Those things help me see that, out there in society, there are still many good things waiting for us," Hanh confided.

Mr. Trong - Head chef at An Vui Vegetarian Kitchen. Photo: Phuong Thao

Mr. Pham Huu Trong (27 years old, Hanoi), head chef at An Vui: "I myself have never been trained in culinary school, but I have loved cooking since I was a child, so when I saw the kitchen job, I volunteered to take it right away.

I am happy to bring my passion for cooking to serve people. When people take rice, see everyone happy and praise the delicious food, I have more motivation to cook.

An Vui Charity Group, after more than 5 years of establishment, has not only stopped at cooking vegetarian meals to give to the needy. An Vui Charity also organizes many other meaningful activities such as: Organizing a highland market, giving gifts to children in difficult circumstances; Laying 10,000 bricks to make a yard and road to Bach Loc Pagoda - Ha Tinh; Organizing a year-end bus program - taking patients and their families from K Hospital - Tan Trieu facility home for Tet...

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