Starting from a small and meaningful idea, a group of Hoc Mon boys built a zero-dong noodle shop, giving free meals to the needy.
Charity ideas come from passionate hearts
Mr. Phan Quoc Bao, the initiator of the idea of a zero-dong noodle shop in Hoc Mon district (Ho Chi Minh City), is a young man who is currently working as a freelancer, full of enthusiasm, and always has a desire to spread the spirit of sharing and connecting the community through practical actions.
Sharing with reporters from the Industry and Trade Newspaper, he said that the zero-dong noodle shop of the Hoc Mon boys is the passion of him and his group members. “The idea of establishing the shop came to me when, during a sports outing with some of my brothers, I saw the crowded and meaningful charity rice shops on the side of the road. At that time, I thought it was great, so I told my brothers to plan to launch a charity restaurant like that in Hoc Mon. So, I and two friends started to do it ,” Mr. Bao shared.
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| The shop's volunteer team with diverse generations - (Photo: Phu Thanh). |
Initially, the noodle shop had only 3 members with limited funds. Each person contributed 1 million VND to make the first 0 VND noodle meal. That amount of money was enough to make about 160 first servings of noodles to serve everyone.
The ingredients are also very simple: bone broth, radish, carrots, a little meat and instant noodles. But from then on, the noodle portions quickly received support from the locals and benefactors, helping the number of meals gradually increase to 200, then 300 and now 400 to 500 portions per week, ensuring help for those in need. The special thing here is that the noodle shop does not have a fixed location, but rotates to different areas in Hoc Mon so that everyone in the district has the opportunity to enjoy it.
“When we did it for the second and third time, the people around us felt it was interesting and positive, so they joined in, from donating, arranging the venue to preparing the food. Especially with the ingredients, each time we received donations from benefactors, such as vegetables, which were sponsored by a woman at the wholesale market. The transportation and venue organization were also actively facilitated and supported by the People's Committee of Ba Diem commune and the associations,” said Mr. Bao.
Up to now, the zero-dong noodle shop has always received a lot of support and donations from people around, however, it will not accept cash but only accept items such as instant noodles, spoons, chopsticks, and food to serve everyone.
What is special about this zero-dong noodle shop is the diversity of its volunteer team. The group has about 20 members, including high school students, university students, and especially many middle-aged uncles and aunts who are also willing to participate in support. Everyone is dynamic, full of enthusiasm with a common goal of contributing to community building.
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| Many attractive zero-dong noodle portions are prepared to serve the needy - (Photo: Phu Thanh) |
Each session starts at 3pm every Thursday. The members have clear assignments: Some prepare ingredients, some cook, some clean up and serve the people. “Thanks to the help of the commune and town authorities who have supported us in terms of security and order, volunteers, and the Party cells have also sent many people to support, so we have been able to have this active activity. In general, we have received a lot of consensus, help and support from the authorities,” Mr. Bao shared.
Spread sharing and love
According to Mr. Bao, the group's name is Hoc Mon boys, but the message the group wants to convey is not only to affirm the contributions of the boys but also to show everyone the youthfulness and enthusiasm of people like the group's volunteers who have contributed to the community and helped those in need.
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| Participation of the government, unions and volunteers - (Photo: Phu Thanh) |
“I want to live life to the fullest, contribute to society, live enthusiastically, call for support, whether you are old or young, I want to promote enthusiasm, when I am still active, it proves that I am not old yet,” Bao shared.
Although the implementation process encountered many difficulties, the group still tried to overcome them. One of the biggest challenges was that it was impossible to accurately predict the number of meals needed to prepare to meet the demand. In addition, arranging parking spaces and queuing areas for everyone was also a difficult problem, because the space at each location was limited. However, seeing the happiness of many people, the support of the people, local authorities and volunteers gave the group more motivation to maintain this activity. It was the smiles and sincere thanks from everyone that helped the group overcome all obstacles and continue this journey of sharing love.
Sharing with reporters, Ms. Nguyen Kim Uyen (residing in Xuan Thoi Dong commune, Hoc Mon district) said: "When eating here, I see that in a bowl of noodles there are many dishes, meat, sausage, eggs, vegetables, and the broth is very delicious and tasty. This model is really good and I myself want this model to be replicated so that people can enjoy and have a warm meal."
With the motto " giving is forever " , the group hopes that this spirit will continue to spread, inspiring more and more individuals and organizations to join hands to build a more humane and better society.
Source: https://congthuong.vn/tp-ho-chi-minh-tiem-mi-0-dong-lan-toa-yeu-thuong-cua-nhung-chang-trai-hoc-mon-359368.html
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