Kitchens that radiate kindness

Over the past period, women's associations in Tan Dinh commune have effectively maintained many humanitarian models, such as: free noodle soup, free bread, charitable porridge... Each meal given away not only helps people alleviate difficulties, but also spreads the love and compassion of women's association members towards the community.

Heartwarming free meals

Every month, at 2 AM on the 15th day of the lunar calendar, members of the Phu Hoa Village Women's Association gather to cook vegetarian noodle soup to donate to people in difficult circumstances. This activity, which has been running since 2024, involves about 10 people each time, preparing over 150 free meals. Ms. Mai Thi Yen, the head of the association, said: “With the desire to help those in need and spread love to everyone, the association mobilizes benefactors to support the model. Each event costs over 1.5 million VND. Seeing the meaningfulness of the activity, many people from the locality currently living in Ho Chi Minh City or abroad have sent money to support it.”

The free noodle soup stall run by women in Phu Hoa village serves people who want to eat on the spot.

Before dawn, the women meticulously prepared a steaming pot of vegetarian noodle soup and transported it to the village hall to distribute to the villagers. The association also prepared 200 loaves of bread. At exactly 6:00 AM, the free noodle soup and bread stall officially opened to serve the people. In addition to distributing meals on-site, the association also delivered meals to the homes of elderly people who couldn't come to receive them in person. Ms. Nguyen Thi Van (Phu Hoa village) said that every month, on the 15th day of the lunar month, she comes to the village hall to receive a portion of noodle soup distributed by the association for her family members, thus saving on some living expenses.

The Women's Association of Thuan My village has been implementing the "Free Noodle Soup" model since 2024. The dishes are flexibly changed each month, including vegetarian noodle soup, banh beo (steamed rice cakes), banh uot (steamed rice rolls), etc. Each time, the association cooks and distributes over 100 free meals, with costs ranging from 1 to 1.5 million VND contributed by members and benefactors. After cooking, the women package each meal and deliver it to the elderly in the village and distribute it to passersby.

Replicating the model

The Health and Fitness Club of the Truong Phuoc Village Women's Association has been implementing the "Free Bread" model since June 2023. The club currently has 30 members who both participate in training and contribute financially to maintain charitable activities. On the 15th day of each lunar month, the women prepare and distribute 200 to 300 loaves of vegetarian bread, costing between 1.2 and 1.5 million VND per distribution. The bread is distributed at the village hall for residents to receive; the club also assigns two members to deliver the bread directly to the homes of the elderly, the lonely, and the disabled. According to Ms. Tran Thi Then, the head of the association, in addition to the "Free Bread" model, the association also maintains the "Rice Jar of Compassion" model to donate rice to those in need. We have been providing regular support to 10 cases at a rate of 200,000 VND per person per month, funded by generous donors, for the past two years.

Women in Tuan Thua village prepare vegetarian porridge to give to the villagers.

Charitable models have been implemented and replicated in many areas by local women's associations. Among them, the "Charity Porridge" model, implemented by the Tuan Thua Village Women's Association since April 2025, is organized on the 15th or 1st day of the lunar month. Each time, the association cooks and distributes 200 servings of vegetarian porridge and 200 portions of herbal tea to villagers, with a cost of over 2 million VND per event contributed by members and women. Women's associations in villages such as Quang Vinh, Thach Thanh, Phong Ap, Thanh My, etc., also regularly donate free meals of noodle soup, rice, bread, etc., to local residents.

The joy of both those who give and those who receive these heartfelt meals.

Ms. Tram Thi Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Tan Dinh commune and Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Tan Dinh commune, said that in recent times, charitable and humanitarian models implemented by women's branches have all stemmed from the voluntary spirit, responsibility, and sharing heart of the members. Through free meals, the branches have promptly shown concern and shared with people in difficult circumstances, contributing to spreading the value of compassion, strengthening community bonds, and demonstrating the core role of the organization in social welfare work in the locality.

CHAU TUONG

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/xa-hoi/202602/nhung-gian-bep-lan-toa-long-nhan-ai-6ce1cc0/