Take charity as joy

Ms. Thuy Tien receives vegetarian bread to give to the needy. Photo: character provided

We first met Ms. Truong Tran Thuy Tien 2 years ago, during a visit to the Dong Thuan Ward Shelter, Binh Minh Town, Vinh Long Province (old), which takes care of lonely elderly people. Ms. Tien is a volunteer at the shelter, taking care of the elderly and helping with other tasks. She talks and laughs happily, massages the hands and feet, or feeds the sick and weak elderly. There is no salary, but for 4 years, every day she rides her motorbike from Can Tho to Vinh Long to take care of the elderly. She also helps out at the charity herbal medicine clinic opposite the shelter.

Recently, when I met her again while distributing vegetarian bread to the needy, I learned that she had temporarily stopped working at the shelter for about a year and a half and was focusing on her personal volunteer activities. Because she knows many charity organizations, groups, and individuals, Ms. Tien has become a bridge to help deliver food to those in need. For example, every Monday morning, she receives 100 loaves of bread from Ms. Tu's group in alley 38, 3/2 street, to give to the needy in hospitals, pagodas, and boarding houses. Every Thursday, she distributes 40-50 boxes of vegetarian noodles from a relative on Nguyen Van Linh street. On the 14th, 15th, 29th, and 30th of the lunar calendar, she distributes vegetarian meals, of which Ms. Tien personally cooks 50 portions each day on the 14th and 29th; On the 15th and 30th, she received food from Ms. Hanh's group on Le Anh Xuan street... Every place she received meals to distribute, she contributed money or a part of the materials to support.

In addition, Ms. Tien receives support from about 20 addresses of lonely elderly people or poor households, each month giving 1 gift including: 10kg of rice, 1 box of noodles, 1 box of coffee, 1kg of sugar. These households are in Binh Thuy ward (Can Tho) and some communes and wards of Vinh Long . She directly purchases goods and delivers them to each household to give. She also has connections with some charity traditional medicine clinics, receiving traditional medicine in pill form, packaged to give to people in need. She also orders essential oils and some Western medicines to treat common diseases such as colds, coughs, runny noses, back pain, etc. to provide free of charge to people in need. When a benefactor sends a large amount of candy, children's clothes, she brings them to give to shelters, orphanages, etc.

Having the opportunity to visit Ms. Tien’s house, I saw her busy arranging and washing and drying a lot of old clothes. She said: “I collect old clothes and shoes from many sources, then see which ones are damaged or unsuitable and throw them away, and which ones are still usable, I wash and dry them, sort them by type, put them in bags, and send them to charity sites in remote areas to give to people in need. These items are too much for some people but not enough for others, so I act as a bridge.”

Accompanying her in charity activities is Mr. Vo Minh Tri, currently living and working in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Tri said: “We are friends and share the same heart of sharing with the needy, so we cooperate to carry out charity activities. I support most of the funding and Ms. Tien puts in the effort to carry out. Occasionally, we give wheelchairs to poor patients. In general, we do whatever is useful for society!”

Ms. Tien always tries to balance between housework and social activities. She confided: “My mother has been a nun for many years, I am also a Buddhist so I find charity and helping others a joy. My husband works far from home, coming home a few days a month. My eldest son is nearly 30 years old, lives on his own and has a stable job. My youngest daughter is in 12th grade this year. Therefore, I arrange time for charity activities.”

With a motorbike carrying simple gifts, medicine packages, meals, etc., Ms. Thuy Tien diligently and happily travels on the roads to reach people in difficult circumstances.

CAT DANG

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/lay-viec-thien-lam-niem-vui-a188530.html