Heartfelt lunch boxes

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man (living in An Binh hamlet, An Phu commune, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City) has witnessed firsthand many times the difficult circumstances of the elderly, the lonely people who have no one to care for them when they fall ill due to changes in weather, or those with mobility disabilities struggling to make a living selling lottery tickets...

Seeing such heartbreaking scenes, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man, despite his family's modest wealth, discussed with his wife and children the idea of doing good deeds together. The goal was to contribute to society and accumulate merit for their descendants, and then to inspire them to follow their example. Specifically, they planned to prepare breakfast meals for the poor and destitute, ensuring they had enough to eat before starting their day.

Everyone helped Mr. Man prepare the food by putting it in bags and rice in containers.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

The good reputation of Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man's family's meal distribution gradually spread, and many people learned about it. Some suggested that he allow everyone to lend a hand. He agreed and welcomed the idea, so everyone happily participated in the charitable work, helping to prepare increasingly delicious and well-prepared meals, complete with desserts.

Everyone divided the tasks among themselves and didn't mind staying up late and waking up early to wash rice, cook meals, and prepare food... Once all the cooking was done, the food was quickly packed into boxes, loaded onto motorbikes, and transported to pre-determined locations to be given to street vendors selling lottery tickets, hawkers along Provincial Roads 15 and 7, and poor laborers... And especially, these hot meal boxes were also delivered to the courtyard of Cu Chi District Hospital in An Nhon Tay commune, handed directly to the relatives of caregivers and inpatients so they could have breakfast in time.

It is known that once a week, the women organize this charitable activity, preparing 120-150 well-prepared lunch boxes, carefully calculating the food portions to ensure they are nutritious and delicious. All the expenses, including rice, meat, fish, and vegetables, are mainly covered by Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man's family. The women in the hamlet contribute their labor to help Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man with cooking and transporting the meals; sometimes, if they can afford it, they contribute a kilogram of salt, a few kilograms of sugar, or a bag of MSG.

Những hộp cơm nghĩa tình - Ảnh 3. — Boxed meals were delivered to Cu Chi District Hospital and distributed to relatives and patients.

Once, at Cu Chi District Hospital, while waiting for my number to be called for my scheduled doctor's appointment, I met Mr. Tran Ngoc An, 72 years old, from Trung Lap Thuong commune, who had been hospitalized for nearly a week for high blood pressure. He held a plastic bag containing a box of rice in his hand and showed it to me. He said that when he woke up that morning, he felt a little hungry and his stomach was rumbling. He intended to go to the hospital gate to buy something to eat for breakfast while waiting for his doctor's appointment, but as soon as he stepped out into the hospital yard, he saw three or five people surrounding a motorbike. Someone told him, "Today is Thursday, someone from An Phu commune is bringing free rice to patients and their caregivers. If you need rice, tell that woman over there who's distributing it and take a box." And he didn't hesitate to take a box of rice for himself. Since it was the first time he had received this kind of charitable meal in the hospital, he felt happy and grateful because it helped him save 30,000 VND, a small amount but enough to save up for medicine...

Ms. Le Thi Hong Viet, Secretary of the An Binh hamlet Party branch, confided to me: "Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, I am truly grateful and commend the extremely humane spirit of everyone in the hamlet. They wholeheartedly work together to do good, especially the family of Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man - the initiator and implementer of this model, so I often join the women in rolling up my sleeves and participating in cooking..."

Những hộp cơm nghĩa tình - Ảnh 4. — Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man donates meals to the poor.

Ms. Le Thi Hong Viet added that she hopes Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man's charitable meal-giving activities for the poor will continue. "In my opinion and hope, if more people contribute and join hands with Mr. Hoang Ngoc Man, the number of meals cooked each time could be increased to over 200 boxes to share with more people in need," she said.

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