In recent times, many free meal kitchens have been established to provide poor patients with a free, nutritious meal. This truly serves as motivation for poor patients to remain optimistic and overcome difficulties.
The free meal kitchen, located right next to the gate of Vinh City General Hospital ( Nghe An province ), opened two days ago by the couple Mai Tu (32 years old) and Truong Thi Huyen (30 years old), residents of Vinh City. This is the second facility that this young couple has been planning to open. Tu and Huyen's purpose in opening the "free" meal is to support disadvantaged people and kidney dialysis patients who require long-term treatment at the hospital. "Although the meal itself is of little monetary value, it's a big deal for poor patients. By saving on food costs, they have more money for their medication. Therefore, after the first facility opened, my wife and I have been planning to find a location to open a second one," said Tu.
According to Mr. Tú, because it's a free meal service, most of the customers are patients being treated at Vinh City General Hospital and people in difficult circumstances. Being able to eat free meals with kind and sincere service warms the hearts of those seeking help from the community. Observing the kitchen during the first two days of opening, over 200 meals, consisting of four dishes: stir-fried cabbage and carrots, king oyster mushrooms, vegetarian patties or imitation vegetarian meat, and a bowl of soup, were distributed to the poor. Customers can even eat on-site or take their meals away.
According to Ms. Dang Thi Thuy (35 years old), residing in Do Luong district and having undergone dialysis at Vinh City General Hospital for three years, for patients undergoing long-term treatment like us, the meal is not just food but also imbued with human kindness, truly precious. I wish Tu Huyen and her husband good health, so they can continue to perform more noble acts for society and for the poor. "Thanks to meals like these, patients in difficult circumstances like us can have some of their burdens eased, gain more motivation, and continue to stay at the hospital to maintain our lives," Ms. Thuy added.
While transferring rice into the kitchen, Mr. Mai Tu, the head of the kitchen, shared that the free meal kitchen operates from Monday to Friday, from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. On average, the kitchen distributes 100 meals per day.
“The first few days of my wife and I opening the free kitchen went well. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the volunteers who took the time to support and help us. “Hopefully, the free kitchen will spread love to everyone, spread more positive energy, and encourage the community to join hands in supporting those in difficult circumstances and improving their lives,” Mr. Tú hoped.
In Yen Thanh district (Nghe An province) in June 2022, a similar free meal service was established. Driven by compassion for impoverished patients, the Thien Tam charity kitchen was founded by Mr. Nguyen Tuan Vu, residing in Yen Thanh town, with the joint efforts of over 30 members and generous donors from within and outside Yen Thanh district.
The Thien Tam Charity Kitchen was established with the aim of providing free meals to patients. Although it faced many difficulties in its early days, from finding a suitable location and organizing to lacking facilities, the Thien Tam Charity Kitchen is now operating stably.
"It's all thanks to the kindness and support of the volunteers, who didn't hesitate to overcome difficulties and contribute their time and money to participate in serving free meals directly to the patients. Especially, we were fortunate to receive the support in terms of location from the Board of Directors of Yen Thanh District Hospital," Mr. Vu shared.
According to Mr. Vu, the kitchen serves 450 to 500 meals daily to poor patients receiving treatment at the hospital. Each meal costs approximately 25,000 VND, and the monthly cost for the Thien Tam kitchen is about 40 million VND, which is contributed by the group members and benefactors.
What's remarkable is the polite, caring, and thoughtful service of the volunteer team. Neither sunny nor rainy days deter them. Within the hospital grounds, food trucks regularly deliver meals filled with compassion to the patients.
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