Every Tuesday, many poor people come to Giac Hai Pagoda (38 Le Hong Phong, Phuoc Hai Ward, Nha Trang City) for vegetarian lunches offered by Thanh Hoa Charity...
Every Tuesday, many poor people come to Giac Hai Pagoda (38 Le Hong Phong, Phuoc Hai Ward, Nha Trang City) for vegetarian lunches offered by Thanh Hoa Charity.
Hue Hong, a fifth-grader of Phuoc Hai 3 Primary School says, “I have lunch here every Tuesday. I do not have anything for lunch other days.” She is from a poor family with 5 children.
“We are all senior citizens with the hope to contribute ourselves to the society and free meals are something that we can offer to help the poor,” says Nguyen Dinh Men, a representative of Thanh Hoa Charity.
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| Preparing lunch for the poor. |
The funding is from its members’ donations and many other benefactors. Giac Hai Pagoda is chosen to be a location for cooking and serving charity meals.
Thanh Hoa Charity has 10 members who have made every effort to raise funds for 400 free portions worth VND10,000 each every Tuesday.
Moved by the kindness and generosity of the charity, more and more people, including Buddhists, have donated to maintain the meaningful activity.
Besides, some poor people have also joined effort to seek food and funding for the charity. Some give up their portions to others who are in extreme poverty.
Nguyen Thi So, a lottery ticket seller says, “I have lunch at Giac Hai Pagoda many times. Meals are well-prepared with desserts. In fact, some people are in more difficulty situations than me and thus, I save portions for them."
Since operation in July 2013, the charity kitchen has provided over 10,000 free portions, many of which were offered to candidates taking university entrance exam 2012-2013 at Nguyen Hien Junior High School.
A member named Luu Thi Hoa says, “Preparing 400 portions at the same time is sometines tiresome work, even when there is a shortage of servers. We try our best to assure sufficient food for the needy and hope to help more and more people."
The raise funds for the kitchen, Thanh Hoa Charity also opens a vegetarian shop at 132 Hoang Van Thu, Nha Trang City. Reportedly, the charity has set a target to award 10 scholarships worth VND20 million each to poor students.
According to Tu Dinh Nhan, Chairman of Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Phuoc Hai Ward, Thanh Hoa Charity has applied for the charitable activity at Giac Hai Pagoda. "We have found that free meals that Thanh Hoa Charity has offered to the poor meet food safety and hygiene requirements," he confirms.
The meals have partly helped share hardship with poor workers and more donations are required to ensure that the aid fully reaches those in need.
N.T
