Wholeheartedly doing good deeds

Ms. Truong Thi Tam (Thu Bon Dong village, Duy Tan commune, Duy Xuyen district) receives a certificate of commendation honoring her as an outstanding voluntary blood donor in the province. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Despite being busy building her house, as soon as she received information that the District Red Cross was organizing the third voluntary blood donation program in Duy Phu commune, Ms. Truong Thi Tam arranged her family affairs to participate.

Ms. Tam said this was her 35th time donating blood. Sharing about her first time donating blood about 30 years ago, she said she was a little worried at the time, afraid it might affect her health.

But after donating, her health remained good and her spirits were high because she had done something useful for society, so she actively participated in charitable work. She also voluntarily registered to donate organs to the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center.

"The 'Bowl of Compassion' porridge has been a tradition maintained by Mrs. Tam for the past 12 years." (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

For many years, regularly twice a month, on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, Mrs. Tam's volunteer group has cooked and distributed nearly 170 bowls of porridge to the sick and elderly in Duy Tan commune.

She said that 12 years ago, she decided to save 20,000 VND each day to cook milk to give to the elderly and sick in the village. A few years later, seeing the meaningfulness of this initiative, several organizations and individuals contributed funds for her to expand the "bowl of compassion" program.

Regularly receiving a bowl of hot porridge, filled with kindness from Mrs. Tam, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hanh (62 years old, Thu Bon Dong village) emotionally shared: “Everyone in the village here loves Mrs. Tam. She often visits and asks for wheelchairs for my son and many other disabled people in the area. Her kindness is truly precious.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Muoi (from the same village) said: "Besides giving porridge and gifts, Ms. Tam also takes me to the hospital when I suddenly fall ill. In many cases, when people are alone and have no relatives or children, Ms. Tam comes to the hospital to take care of them for many days at a time."

Ms. Tam campaigned and donated wheelchairs to disabled people in the commune. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Taking advantage of family matters, Mrs. Tam went from house to house to gather information and mobilize support, both emergency and regular, for many sick and particularly disadvantaged individuals. From the beginning of 2024 to the present, Mrs. Tam has mobilized and distributed nearly 90 million VND to lonely and homeless people in the western commune of the district.

Speaking about her work, Mrs. Tam confided: "Following Uncle Ho's example of 'doing good deeds, no matter how small, and avoiding evil deeds, no matter how small,' I only hope to have good health so I can continue to do more useful things, to make life better."

Ms. Hoang Thi My Lan, President of the Duy Xuyen District Red Cross Society, said: "Ms. Truong Thi Tam is a dedicated branch official who is committed to charitable and local movements."

Having participated in the voluntary blood donation movement for many years, Mrs. Tam has become a role model, promoting and attracting many others to join. With her dedication to the community, Mrs. Tam contributes to spreading many humane and positive values.

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