Brother Đệ runs programs aimed at helping orphans.
For many years, the image of Mr. De diligently preparing meals for orphaned children and impoverished patients has become familiar to the people of Chau Thoi commune. Regularly, from Monday to Saturday, Mr. De is always present at the pagoda early in the morning to cook meals for poor children and only returns home late at night. Mr. De recounts that he has been involved with the Chau Long Pagoda Charity Association ( Bac Lieu province) for many years. During his travels with other members doing charitable programs, he witnessed many unfortunate lives and the difficulties faced by those undergoing long-term medical treatment at the hospital. This motivated him to establish a charitable kitchen at the pagoda in 2015, which he has continued to run ever since.
When he first started the kitchen, Mr. De faced many obstacles, and at times, a lack of funding almost forced him to close it down. However, his desire to support poor patients helped him overcome all difficulties. To cover operating costs, Mr. De asked his family for permission to use a portion of the money from renting out 16 rooms to maintain the kitchen. In addition, he also grew and sold orchids to sustain the fund; he used social media to film videos of himself cooking for orphans, attracting a large following. His charitable work spread, and many philanthropists inside and outside the province learned about it and joined hands to support him. "I hope these meals not only help the children physically, but also bring warmth to their souls, giving strength to poor patients to overcome their illnesses," Mr. De confided.
Currently, Mr. Đệ organizes cooking sessions every week, only taking Sundays off. The cost for each charitable meal is approximately 1 million VND. Each time, he cooks and donates over 250 meals at two locations: Vĩnh Phước An Pagoda (Ward 2, Bac Lieu City) and Vĩnh Lợi District General Hospital. The menu is also constantly changing, ranging from savory to vegetarian dishes, ensuring hygiene and adequate nutrition.
"Even though it's charity food, it has to be delicious and appealing for me to dare to give it away. I choose to buy sticky, fragrant rice to cook, and I save the drier rice for making porridge or stir-fried rice. Although it's not much more expensive, when patients and orphans eat well, I feel happy too," Mr. De confided.
To make transportation and delivering supplies easier, Mr. De also saved up money to buy a used truck to serve his charitable work. “Before, I only cooked meals for two days on weekends. However, now I only take Sundays off to provide nutritious meals every day for 85 orphaned children at the temple. For the children, I provide savory dishes to ensure they receive adequate nutrition, maintain good health, and develop physically,” Mr. De shared.
For almost a decade now, whenever Mr. De brings meals to the temple, the orphans there have enjoyed delicious meals. Many children love him and look forward to his presence every day; some even find the food only enjoyable when he feeds them. Besides cooking delicious meals, Mr. De is always there for the orphans. He meticulously prepares gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival, International Children's Day, and Lunar New Year. In addition, Mr. De has campaigned and contributed to building charity houses; to date, six houses have been handed over to families in special circumstances, each worth over 50 million VND. He also regularly distributes gifts to the poor and assists with funeral arrangements for the deceased.
Nun Nguyet Hai, who practices at Vinh Phuoc An Pagoda in Bac Lieu province, said: "Brother De's heart is very generous. Whatever the children want to eat or crave, he cooks and brings it to them. The children look forward to seeing him every day; they are happy to see him and cling to him like a family member."
Text and photos: NGUYEN TRINH
Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/mot-thap-ky-vi-tre-mo-coi-a185584.html
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