Warm hearts with zero-dong kitchens

Recently, many zero-dong kitchens have been established to provide poor patients with free, nutritious meals. This is truly a motivation for poor patients to overcome difficulties with optimism.

Mai Tu's free kitchen provides more than 100 free meals to poor patients every day.

The free kitchen right next to the gate of Vinh City General Hospital ( Nghe An ) of Mr. Mai Tu (32 years old) and his wife Truong Thi Huyen (30 years old) residing in Vinh City just "opened" 2 days ago, is the second facility that this young couple has cherished. The purpose of opening a "free" restaurant of Tu Huyen is to support the poor and patients on dialysis, who have to receive long-term treatment at the hospital. "Although the meal is of little value, it is a big problem for poor patients. By reducing the cost of meals, they have more money for medicine. Therefore, after the first facility went into operation, my wife and I cherished finding a location to open a second facility" - Mr. Tu said.

According to Mr. Tu, because it is a zero-dong restaurant, most of the customers who come to the restaurant are patients being treated at Vinh City General Hospital and people in difficult circumstances. Being able to eat free meals with attentive and sincere service, those who seek help from the community also feel warm-hearted. Observing the kitchen in the first 2 days of opening, more than 200 meals, including 4 dishes of stir-fried vegetables with carrots, chicken thigh mushrooms, vegetarian sausage or fake vegetarian meat and a bowl of soup, have been distributed to the poor. Customers can even eat on the spot or take away.

According to Ms. Dang Thi Thuy (35 years old) - residing in Do Luong district - with 3 years of "seniority" in dialysis at Vinh City General Hospital, for long-term patients like us, a meal is not only a dish but also imbued with humanity, truly precious. I wish Tu Huyen and her husband good health, so that they can have more noble deeds for society and the poor. "Thanks to meals like this, poor patients like us can reduce some of the burden, have more motivation, and continue to stay at the hospital to maintain our lives" - Ms. Thuy added.

While moving rice into the kitchen, Mr. Mai Tu, the kitchen owner, shared that the zero-dong kitchen operates from Monday to Friday every week, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. On average, the kitchen distributes 100 meals per day.

“The first days of my wife and I opening the zero-dong kitchen went well. I would like to send my sincere thanks to the volunteers who took the time to support and help. “I hope the zero-dong kitchen will spread love to everyone, spread more positive energy, and call on the community to join hands to support people in difficult circumstances and improve their lives,” Mr. Tu wishes.

In Yen Thanh district (Nghe An) in June 2022, a similar zero-dong kitchen was also established. Originating from sympathy for poor patients, Thien Tam charity kitchen was put into operation by Mr. Nguyen Tuan Vu - residing in Yen Thanh town, with the joint efforts of more than 30 members and philanthropists and donors inside and outside Yen Thanh district.

Thien Tam Kitchen was established with the aim of serving free meals to the sick. Although the early days of establishment encountered many difficulties from the location of operation, organization to facilities, but up to now Thien Tam charity kitchen has been operating stably.

“It is all thanks to the generosity and support of the volunteers, who are not afraid of difficulties when spending their efforts and money to join together, serving free meals to the patients. Especially, the Board of Directors of Yen Thanh District Hospital created favorable conditions for the location of activities” - Mr. Vu shared.

According to Mr. Vu, every day the kitchen serves 450 to 500 meals for poor patients being treated at the hospital. Each meal costs about 25,000 VND, and each month the cost for Thien Tam kitchen is about 40 million VND, the amount is contributed by the group members and benefactors.

What is worth mentioning here is the way the volunteers are always polite, considerate and thoughtful. Sunny or rainy days do not discourage them. In the hospital grounds, food trucks regularly deliver meaningful meals to the patients.

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