Charity kitchen staff's beneficence

For nearly 20 years, the charity kitchen staff of Khanh Hoa General Hospital have had silent contribution to charity food service for poor patients.

 

The kitchen work, cleaning vegetables, cooking, washing the dishes, etc begins at 5am. 61-year-old Huynh Thi Hoa, the head of the charity kitchen has been working for the charity kitchen since 2002 when she was over 40 years old. For nearly 20 years, she arrives at the kitchen at 5am every day to prepare and arrange everything for the charity food service and finishes work at 3pm. She is rarely absent from work, except when she is sick. She says, “We all work with commitment and willingness. Our happiness is to help those in need."

 

Nguyen Thi Kim Lien, 62, has been working here since 2007. “Many people say at my age, I should stop working and relax, but I think I should spend time helping others. Who knows what will happen in the future when we are older, sick and broke and then really need help? This nutritious food means a lot to struggling people during their presence in the hospital. So why don’t we spend time for the good thing while we still can?" she says.

 

 

 

Dao Nguyen Bich Anh has been working as a warehouse keeper for nearly 2 years. 3 years ago, her daughter suffered from kidney failure. 24 hour hemodialysis made her little girl exhausted. The mother had to stand all day to help her daughter. During those days, she was offered free food by those sharing the same hospital room. “Who has ever experienced or witnessed extreme pain and grief will understand the value of the free food boxes in such circumstances. I am so grateful. My daughter has recovered. She can go to school now. I can have more time to do charity work with the hope to help the poor in return for what I have received from other people’s kindness,” says Dao Nguyen Bich Anh.

 

The hospital charity kitchen was founded in 2002 with the contribution of many generations. Some are getting old now. M.A Nguyen Thuy Chau, Head of the Nutrition Department says, "The contribution of the staff is so great. They rarely have days off. They work with all their heart, so the kitchen is always clean and neat with tasty and healthy food, receiving positive feedback from patients. The staff have made conscious effort to maintain the operation of the kitchen with commitment to serving poor patients with delicious and healthy food."

 

Reportedly, the kitchen serves nearly 200 portions everyday. The ingredients are imported from supermarkets. Healthy and nutritionally-balanced food is assured for patients based on medical condition and treatment plan. Every day, staff of the nutrition department check the food safety and quality. “The kitchen staff are so kind and their cooking is good. Their help means a lot to us,” says 71-year-old Nguyen Thi Phuong, who is from Cam Lam District and presently at the hospital taking care of her husband.

 

Nguyen Chi Thanh, a benefactor of the charity kitchen, regularly donates money to the charity kitchen on the first day of every lunar month. “My money is just a little compared with the staff’s effort. They keep kitchen clean and cook good food. I like it a lot. That’s why I have been involved in the charity work for nearly 10 years now,” he says.

 

Minh Thiet

Translated by N.T