The young man has been cooking for orphans and poor patients for 10 years.

The young man has been cooking for orphans and poor patients for 10 years.

For the past 10 years, Mr. La Thanh De (31 years old, Chau Thoi commune, Vinh Loi district, Bac Lieu province) has volunteered to cook for orphans and poor patients. The image of Mr. De diligently preparing each meal has become familiar to the people of Chau Thoi commune.

Mr. La Thanh De with attractive dishes. Photo: Character provided

Sharing with reporters, Mr. De said that during his participation in charity programs, he witnessed many difficult situations and sympathized with the poor, so he decided to set up a charity kitchen at the pagoda in 2015 to serve delicious meals.

"I hope the meals not only help the children physically, but also bring warmth to their souls, giving the poor people strength to overcome their illnesses," Mr. De confided.

Mr. De cooks regularly, only resting on Sundays. Each time he cooks, he donates over 250 meals to Vinh Phuoc An Pagoda (Ward 2, Bac Lieu City) and Vinh Loi District General Hospital. The menu constantly changes from meat dishes to vegetarian dishes... ensuring hygiene and adequate nutrition. The cost for each charity meal is over 1 million VND.

Nutritious food. Photo: Provided by the character

"The charity rice must be delicious and attractive for me to feel secure. I choose sticky rice to cook rice, dry rice to cook porridge or stir-fried rice. The price of rice may be a bit higher, but when I see patients and children eating well, I also feel happy," Mr. De happily said.

At the beginning, Mr. Thanh De encountered many difficulties, sometimes lacking funds. However, the desire to accompany poor patients helped him overcome everything.

To cover operating costs, Mr. Thanh De asked his family for permission to set aside part of the money from renting 16 rooms as a fund to maintain the kitchen. Taking advantage of social networks, he filmed cooking videos for orphans, attracting a large number of followers, from which many benefactors in and outside the province learned about and supported him.

Mr. Thanh De having fun with the children. Photo: Character provided

In addition to supporting those in difficult circumstances, Mr. Thanh De also helps bury the deceased, mobilizes donations to build charity houses and regularly gives gifts to the poor.