Gratitude meals for the sick

Women's Association of Quarter 6, Ward 1, Dong Ha City organized the program "Pot of loving porridge to serve patients" at Quang Tri Provincial General Hospital - Photo: HT

At 5am, arriving at the familiar small yard used as a charity kitchen of the Women's Association of Quarter 6, Ward 1, Dong Ha City, we witnessed the joyful, enthusiastic and passionate working atmosphere of the members and women when they personally selected food, processed and prepared delicious nutritious porridge to give to poor patients being treated at Quang Tri Provincial General Hospital. This is an activity organized and maintained by the members and women of Quarter 6 for over 3 years.

Ms. Ho Thi Hue, Head of the Women's Association of Ward 6, shared: "The charity kitchen of the association was established in 2023 on the spirit of voluntary contribution of members and women to maintain cooking 300 porridge portions/month to send to patients being treated at the Provincial General Hospital. Although our professions and circumstances are different, we are all passionate about charity work, wishing to bring the best meals to poor patients, encouraging them to overcome difficulties and recover quickly.

Every month, we organize porridge cooking once with carefully selected ingredients including: rice, lotus seeds, green beans, lean meat, stewed bones to distribute to patients and their families who are being treated at the hospital. The cost of each porridge distribution is about 3.5 - 4 million VND, voluntarily contributed by members and women in the neighborhood. We will continue to maintain this meaningful activity because we always believe that, giving love, we will definitely receive love in return. That is also the spreading of good things in life to everyone."

Holding a box of hot porridge in her hand, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao, in Kim Thach commune, Vinh Linh district, praised it as delicious.

Ms. Dao said: “While I was sick and ill, receiving the attention of kind-hearted organizations and individuals made me very emotional. Having breast cancer, having to fight the disease for many years, staying in the hospital more than at home, my family's economy was exhausted. The porridge from the Women's Association of Ward 6 helped me cut down on some expenses, gave me more strength and confidence to feel secure in my treatment, recover soon and return to normal life."

At Vinh Linh District General Hospital, there is a separate corner for pots of porridge and charity meals. It has become a tradition that 4-5 times a month, Ms. Duong Thi Tao, from Ho Xa town, Vinh Linh district, brings charity meals and pho to the patients being treated there.

Ms. Tao said that with the motto of not leaving patients in difficult circumstances alone in the fight against disease, she voluntarily spent money and called for more help from friends to organize cooking nutritious meals of rice and pho to send to many patients being treated at Vinh Linh District General Hospital.

The free meals, though small but filled with the warmth of Ms. Tao’s humanity, have helped to ease the burden of making a living for the patients. “We advise each other, arrange a place to cook, count the number of patients in need, and deliver the meals to the patients.

To have delicious and nutritious meals of rice and pho, each meal is planned and prepared to ensure food hygiene and safety. Each time I organize, I will spend about 3 million VND myself, along with the support and help of my close sisters to ensure that I can cook enough 200 meals of rice or pho to serve patients being treated at Vinh Linh District General Hospital", Ms. Tao confided.

Sharing her feelings when receiving a bowl of warm porridge given by Ms. Tao and the volunteers, Ms. Do Thi Man, a patient being treated at Vinh Linh District General Hospital, said that each bowl of porridge given by the volunteers made her feel the love and warm care as if it were her own relatives. This is also a source of spiritual encouragement for her and other poor patients with difficult circumstances to overcome the worries of making a living and conquer the pain of illness.

Not only sharing meaningful meals with poor patients in Vinh Linh district, Ms. Duong Thi Tao also regularly supports funds to "keep the fire" of many "zero-dong" kitchens for people in difficult circumstances organized by volunteer associations, groups, and clubs in the province.

At the same time, actively call on philanthropists inside and outside the province to give gifts to poor patients, build charity houses for poor households and households with housing difficulties; organize gift-giving programs for students and people in ethnic minority communes on holidays, Tet, and the beginning of the new school year...

Preparing and giving hot, nutritious meals to poor patients by hand is what many volunteers have been doing at many hospitals and medical centers in the province in recent times.

When the last portions of rice were distributed, the kind-hearted people all shared an indescribable joy. For them, the meaningful meals not only brought material value but also demonstrated the spiritual value, the care and sharing of the kind-hearted people towards many miserable lives.

Autumn Summer

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nhung-suat-an-nghia-tinh-danh-cho-nguoi-benh-192635.htm