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| Mr. Toan prepares meals for patients at Da Nang Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Photo: NGOC HUYEN |
At 5 a.m., Mr. Tran Van Toan and his wife busily head to the market to select fresh ingredients for cooking. With the support of volunteers and relatives, each ingredient is prepared and cooked so that the meal is quickly ready and served hot to the patients. This is a familiar charitable meal for many patients being treated at Da Nang Hospital, the Oncology Hospital, and the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for about two years now. It is known that the funding comes from benefactors, while Mr. Toan and his wife contribute their time and effort in cooking and acting as a "bridge" to deliver the meals directly to the patients.
Before each cooking session, benefactors send Mr. Toan an amount of money corresponding to the number of meals they wish to donate (each meal worth approximately 20,000 VND), and the menu is also flexibly changed to suit the needs. “Previously, I started my business by selling Hue-style pork sausage sandwiches and recording videos to share on social media, including charitable sandwich distributions. Thanks to the spread of the internet, I received support from many people far away who sent funds to make more sandwiches and distribute them to more patients.”
Later, I switched to preparing hot dishes like vermicelli, pho, porridge, soup… so that people could eat them more easily,” he shared. For each food distribution trip to hospitals, Toan personally records images and videos to post on his TikTok channel “Startup at 27,” both to provide transparent documentation and to inspire and spread stories of compassion for the community.
Initially, Toan was the only one in charge of shopping for groceries, while his wife handled the cooking. Later, with the support and attention from charitable organizations and individuals, many young volunteers came to help keep the small kitchen running regularly. Le Quang Viet (born in 2005), a student at Duy Tan University, who helps out in the kitchen, said: “After participating for a while, I have learned a lot from Toan about perseverance and how to share love with others. Helping the community alongside him and his wife also brings me joy.”
Having become familiar with Toan's group's schedule, many people lined up early to receive meals. "Every time I see the charity kitchen, I'm so happy. Taking care of my sick child, the money at home is only enough for medicine. Thanks to these meals, I'm relieved of some of the burden. I and everyone here are grateful for the kindness of the young people, the volunteers, and the generous donors," shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Van (born in 1987, Hoa Quy Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District), a family member of a patient at the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital.
Thanks to their contributions over the past time, Mr. and Mrs. Toan were recently honored by Da Nang Hospital for their positive contributions in supporting disadvantaged patients at the facility. Previously, they were also recognized by the Da Nang Center for the Care and Education of Disadvantaged Children (Da Nang City Association for the Protection of Poor and Unfortunate Women and Children) with the "Golden Heart at the Village of Hope" award. Having started participating in charitable activities at the age of 15, now, on their journey to make a living, despite not being overly wealthy, Mr. Toan still hopes to contribute in the spirit of "contributing money if you have money, contributing strength if you have strength" to share with others.
KHANH HOI - NGOC HUYEN
Source: https://baodanang.vn/channel/5433/202504/moi-suat-an-mot-tam-long-4004805/
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