Pots of porridge and lunch boxes spread love

Sunflower Club volunteers prepare rice to distribute to disadvantaged patients being treated at Bai Chay Hospital. — Volunteers of the Sunflower Club prepare trays of rice to deliver to disadvantaged patients being treated at Bai Chay Hospital.

The idea of cooking porridge was born when Ms. Pham Thi Hong Tuoi, Head of the Sunflower Club, encountered difficult situations right in the hospital, where she had visited many times to support. Worried about the lack of meals for the patients, Ms. Tuoi came up with the idea of cooking charity porridge. Receiving support from her family and the Sumi Independent Kindergarten (Viet Hung Ward) where Ms. Tuoi is the owner, helped the idea to originate in 2021, but it was not until early 2024 that it officially began to be implemented.

Initially, the Sunflower Club only had about 20 volunteers. But with transparency, responsibility and sincere love, the Club quickly attracted the response of the community. Up to now, there have been about 250 participants, some contributing labor, some contributing money, everyone supporting with whatever they have. Ms. Tuoi said: "To create trust for everyone, the Club always makes its finances public, ensuring clean, clear-origin and safe materials."

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, members wake up at 4:30 to prepare 150 porridge portions. The porridge is cooked right at the Sumi Independent Kindergarten with ingredients including bones, meat, and rice purchased at the supermarket. At 5:30, the porridge portions are loaded onto cars, transported to the Oncology Center (Bai Chay Hospital) and at 6:00 the porridge will be distributed to patients and their families in need. Each pot of porridge costs about 700,000 VND, but the spiritual value is many times greater.

The porridge portions were brought to Bai Chay Hospital by volunteers of the Sunflower Club at 5:30 am to be distributed free of charge to patients and their families in need. — The porridge portions are brought to Bai Chay Hospital by volunteers of the Sunflower Club at 5:30 every Tuesday and Thursday, distributed free of charge to patients and their families in need.

Ms. Pham Thi Hong Tuoi shared: "From 100 servings at the beginning, to now 150 servings, we just hope that no one will be left behind on cold mornings. Seeing everyone happily holding a bowl of hot porridge in their hands, we feel all the hardships disappear."

Not stopping at the charity porridge pot, in September 2024, after storm No. 3, many areas lost power, patients were in severe need of meals, the Sunflower Club decided to expand to cooking charity meals. Currently, every week, at 10am on Wednesday, more than 210 lunch boxes with various dishes, vegetables, and soups are delivered to the gate of Bai Chay Hospital to be distributed to patients.

This job requires more effort. The rice is cooked at home, packed in clean styrofoam boxes, and then delivered to the hospital by car. But the members are all volunteers and always see it as a shared joy. Ms. Vu Thi Hong Thoan, a volunteer of the Sunflower Club, expressed: "Anyone who has spent days taking care of a sick person will understand how meaningful a hot meal is."

In addition to cooking porridge and rice, the Sunflower Club also cooperates with the Social Work Team of the Quality Management Department (Bai Chay Hospital) to provide emergency support to patients with special difficulties. Each case is supported with 2 million VND, helping them to overcome the stressful treatment period. In addition, the Club also maintains a "0 VND Clothing Shop" in Viet Hung Ward, where the poor can choose clean, warm clothes without having to pay any fees.

In addition, every quarter, volunteers of the Sunflower Club actively participate in voluntary blood donation and support blood donation activities in the area. Ms. Pham Thi Hong Tuoi has donated blood 22 times, a number that shows the spirit of volunteerism spreading from the leader herself. Ms. Tuoi affirmed: "We do everything with love and the desire to share. Each meal given is a hope sent back to the sick."

From a small idea, Sunflower Club has become a warm support for hundreds of patients every week. Pots of porridge and boxes of meaningful meals not only warm the stomach but also warm the belief in humanity and brotherhood, which has been and is being strongly spread by the silent people here.

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