Meals of love

Ms. Anh Thu gives away vegetarian bread in front of her store on the 10th day of the lunar month every month.

Every 10th day of the lunar calendar, Ms. Truong Nguyen Anh Thu, owner of BabyLoo & Twin fashion shop (79 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh street) makes and gives away vegetarian meals right in front of her shop. Last October 1st (the 10th day of the 8th lunar month), Ms. Thu made and gave away 320 vegetarian sandwiches to the people. From early morning, she and the staff in the shop were busy preparing ingredients: bread, sausage, pork skin, cucumber, herbs, sauce... then made delicious sandwiches to give to many people. From neighbors to passersby, poor workers, everyone in need got a portion.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Hong, 62 years old, who works in the scrap business, confided: “My house is nearby. The last few times I saw the shop giving out bread, I was late so there were none left. Today, I got 3 loaves for my family. The bread is delicious and also helps me save some money on breakfast. Thank you very much!”

Ms. Anh Thu confided: “I often contribute money, rice, and necessities to volunteer groups' programs, or sometimes when I have time, I give them directly to disadvantaged households in remote areas. Recently, I want to share with people by giving vegetarian meals. My family and I are vegetarians, so we know how to prepare vegetarian dishes to suit their taste. The first time, I made 150 loaves of bread but it was not enough. So the next time I increased it to over 200 portions. Sometimes I change to vegetarian rice cakes for a different taste. My friends saw the meaningful work, so some of them supported me and contributed money to help me give these meals to more people."

* * *

I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Thao during a medical examination at Can Tho City Heart Hospital. She and her 10-year-old daughter brought boxes of vegetarian noodles to give to the patients waiting for their turn. Many people thanked her because they had not eaten anything yet because they had done blood tests, and everyone was happy to receive a timely meal from Ms. Thao.

Ms. Thao said that her family had a vegetarian sandwich cart that sold in the morning on Hoang Quoc Viet Street. When lottery ticket sellers and scrap collectors passed by, she would give them a portion of bread. One time, a customer saw her doing this and immediately offered to help those in need by buying 75 vegetarian meals each month and sending them back for Ms. Thao to give to those in need. From that customer's contribution, Ms. Thao and another friend contributed more money to make more meals to give to more people.

“On the 1st, 14th, and 15th of the lunar month, I give away vegetarian meals such as bread, rice, and vermicelli to patients and caregivers at the City Cardiovascular Hospital or Can Tho Central General Hospital. It has been exactly 1 year now. This meaningful work is supported by the whole family. My husband's father helps me transport food to the hospital, and my daughter and I go to distribute the food.”

* * *

Those meaningful meals are continued to be maintained regularly by Ms. Thu and Ms. Thao every month, contributing to sending to the community a gesture and generous heart of Can Tho people.

Article and photos: LE THU

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/nhung-suat-an-nghia-tinh-a191945.html