Heart-warming meals

There is an address that serves lunch for everyone, but it's very strange in that the diners do not have to spend money, but they are also warmly welcomed and well taken care of. That is the place where the "Meal of Love" model operates, carried out by the Red Cross of Phu Loi Ward in Thu Dau Mot City in collaboration with the vegetarian restaurant Man Tai at 32 Huynh Van Luy, Neighborhood 1, Phu Loi Ward. Not only is the stomach full and the heart warmed, everyone coming here to eat can feel the love and sharing between people on every day basis.

Each portion of rice sent to the eater is the sincere affection of the givers

Warm the hearts of the needy

At nearly 10 o'clock in the morning, 3 caretakers from Tra My 2 Kindergarten were specially assigned to serve at the "Meal of Love" model have also finished preparing the dishes. The caretakers started to transfer rice and dishes from the kitchen to the serving area to welcome everyone to have lunch for "0 dong". All stages from ingredient sourcing, pre-processing, cooking are taken care of by the school, meticulously with the desire to create delicious and healthy meals for everyone.

After a while of cycling around the streets to collect recyclables for extra income, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ha in Ward 7, Phu Loi Ward felt tired, her stomach also started to growl. In the scorching noon sun, feeling hungry, she happened to pass by here so she quickly parked her bike by the wall and took the opportunity to sit and rest for a bit. When the caregivers began to serve, Mrs. Ha also took the opportunity to receive food to continue her livelihood. Plate of rice with various dishes full, still hot, she sat down to eat very deliciously. Life is tough, with many difficulties, so Mrs. Ha looks much older than her 65 years. Also because of the difficulties, every day she still has to ride her bike all over the streets, alleys picking up plastic bottles, beer cans, or other things that can be sold to earn a little extra income to support her life. "The rice here is very delicious, I often come here to eat rice. Today I get to eat rice for free, helping me reduce some of my daily expenses," Mrs. Ha shared.

Living alone, Mr. Nguyen Trung Cuong, 61 years old, still works as a hired laborer to provide food for himself. His job is to specialize in cutting trees for hire, only having work when someone hires him. He shared that this season there are few people hiring, so he is frequently unemployed and has no income. In difficult times, he was introduced to this free meal service, which for him is the most timely and practical support. Receiving a plate full of rice from the servers, he sits back, eating and chatting with everyone around him very cheerfully. Seeing him carrying a few plastic boxes, we asked him, and he laughed and said that after finishing his meal, he would ask for an extra portion to have a full belly on the way home. Despite only serving lunch at the restaurant, given his difficult circumstances, the servers here were also very willing, even scooping up a lot of rice and food for him.

The spreading sentiment

For many people, the vegetarian restaurant Man Tai specializes in serving vegetarian dishes at a loving price that is no longer unfamiliar. Before becoming a place serving free lunch as it is now, this place used to be a rice selling restaurant but also very loving and affectionate with each rice portion costing only 1,000 VND. Therefore, for a long time, this place has become a familiar address for many disadvantaged people in the area passing by.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Cuong said that now he has this address so he no longer worries about being hungry on being unemployed

As noon approaches, more people come to eat at the restaurant. Dispelling the hot sun outside, here, everyone feels comfortable thanks to the spacious environment, comfortable seating for meals, and most importantly, being treated equally. Mrs. Mai Thị Mai Thanh, the owner of the vegetarian restaurant Man Tai, said that Man Tai vegetarian restaurant has been operating since 2014, but temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her wish, as well as her family's, is to open a vegetarian kitchen to bring blessings to everyone, especially to provide warm lunches for the less fortunate. At first, the restaurant sold each meal for 1,000 VND so that people would not feel hesitant to come and eat, but many people who finished eating voluntarily donated more money. Meanwhile, the family only wanted to do charity with their hearts, so they decided to sell rice for free so that anyone who likes vegetarian food can come to the restaurant for free.

With the desire to have more people know and come to the rice restaurant, after a period of temporary suspension of operation, Man Tai establishment has collaborated with the Red Cross of Phú Lợi ward to introduce the "Meal of Love" model. Currently, each day the model serves about 200 free lunch meals for those in need at 10-12 o'clock from Monday to Friday every week. However, according to Man Tai owner who is also the main sponsor of the operation of the model, in the future, when more people know about and come, the number of meals served each day will also increase accordingly. "The more people come here to eat, the happier I feel, it's just that simple," Mrs. Mai Thanh expressed.

With the emergence of the "Meal of Love" model, those who like vegetarian food, especially people in difficult circumstances, street vendors, and other freelancers can now come here every noon to eat free meals without worrying about anything. Here, the rice sellers and the people who come to eat rice are always cheerful, treating each other very kindly. Anyone who wants to eat more can ask for more rice, food without worrying about the price. After finishing their meal, they smile brightly because their stomachs are full, their hearts are warm. They do not forget to thank the kind-hearted people, those who have prepared delicious dishes, helping them have loving meals, full of human warmth in a life full of difficulties and hardships. People who support, people who serve also feel happier because they have given, spread more love to multiply the kindness, contribute to making life more beautiful.

Reported by Hong Thuan – Translated by Vi Bao