Every Monday, poor people come to Lanterns Restaurant, 34/6 Nguyen Thien Thuat, Nha Trang City, to have free lunch. It has become a familiar place for the needy...
Every Monday, poor people come to Lanterns Restaurant, 34/6 Nguyen Thien Thuat, Nha Trang City, to have free lunch. It has become a familiar place for the needy for 4 years.
 |
| Delivering food to the poor. |
Early in the morning, a group of people, including foreigners, are busy with preparing food and then putting it into boxes placed in front of the restaurant.
Andrew, a Canadian man, says, “I am retired and have been living in Nha Trang City for many years. I am interested in the free food program of Lanterns Restaurant, so I have joined hands to help the disadvantaged for 1 year now.”
Nguyen Phuoc Quy Trung, Nha Trang City, says “I by chance know the free food delivery. I have asked some friends of mine to come here to help with this charity work. Beneficiaries include cycle-rickshaw riders, lottery ticket sellers, scrap-iron dealers, etc."
The restaurant is usually crowded with poor people coming for free lunches at 11am. Free lunch boxes are put into the hands of old and disadvantaged people waiting outside on the street.
Vo Tong, a cycle-rickshaw, says, “ I have received free food here for 3 years. They are really valuable gifts for the poor.”
Nguyen Tien Dat, Xuong Huan Ward, says, “Thanks to the free lunches, I can save my small earning for my son’s study expenses.”
Robert Costabile, an Australian man, is the owner of the restaurant. Rarely present in Vietnam, he has assigned another person to manage the restaurant for him.
100-150 free servings of lunch are delivered every Monday, according to Nguyen Phuong Nam, who is managing the restaurant. “They are really not much for the poor, but we are happy to partly share their financial burden,” she says.
N.T
