To live is to give away

Update: 10-11-2021 | 12:09:59

At 3 A.M., she alone woke up in the kitchen to prepare ingredients to cook 2 large pots of porridge. At 6:00, her children woke up to help their mother scoop porridge into small boxes and put them on a large table at the gate that was already open. The new day of Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc My's family at Hiep An ward in Thu Dau Mot city has started regularly in such a way for several months now.

Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc My (in the middle) hands portridge and gift to people of hardship at Hiep An ward in Thu Dau Mot city

Many still need help

At more or less 6:00, the people staying and the workers facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 epidemic began to come to the house on DX085 at Hiep An ward in Thu Dau Mot city where the "VND 0 porridge pot" is located to serve the poor people in the area. In addition to those in difficulty who came to receive porridge for breakfast, many volunteers also arrived in time to receive porridge and distributed at the addresses booked the day before. Within 30 minutes, boxes of fragrant and hot porridge were delivered to the needy, helping them in the midst of hardship.

The "VND 0 porridge pot" has been a charity program conducted by Mrs. Pham Thi Ngoc My and members of her volunteer group and benefactors for several months now. Ms. My said that during the complicated epidemic days when the city implemented strict social distanceing, many workers and freelancers did not have a job; their lives were really difficult. "Departments and sectors have also tried to help those in need during the pandemic, but we think that no matter how much efforts the State makes, it would be not enough, so we decided to join in," said Ms. My.

Getting things done right after thinking, Ms. My and her team members embarked on many charity programs to promptly help people in difficult situations. During the time of implementing strict social distancing, the porridge offered by Ms. My and her members had not only supported people in remote areas with rice, ingredients, and money but also called for volunteers to help deliver porridge to locations. Every day, Ms. My cooked about 150-200 servings of porridge. The advantage was that Ms. My had been cooking porridge for more than 10 years for charity, so even though she was alone with her daughter-in-law helping, she still completed 2 pots of porridge a day. “I cook vegetarian porridge without using additives, but it must be delicious and attractive for people to eat. Therefore, I chose the ingredients very carefully by the freshness, deliciousness, food safety and hygiene,” said Ms. My on revealing the secret of cooking porridge that made many people compliment on dining.

Ms. My said that it took about VND 7,000 to cook such a porridge serving, which, on quick calculation of 150-200 servings a day, could be VND 1-1.4 million a day. Occasionally, Mrs. My's group also changed the dishes to fried bread and noodles to make everyone more appetizing. Ms. Huynh Thi Diem Thuy, Chairwoman of Women's Union of Hiep An ward in Thu Dau Mot city, said that during the recent epidemic outbreak, Ms. My and benefactors organized many volunteer activities to help underprivileged people not only at Hiep An ward but also in many places of Thu Dau Mot city, Thuan An city, Ben Cat town, etc.“ The meaningful and humane works of Ms. My showed the love, the sharing and the responsibility for the community," Ms. Thuy acknowledged.

As the epidemic was basically controlled and undermined, the city has relaxed the social distancing and implemented safe and flexible adaptation to effectively put the disease under control. Many workers have returned to the factories to work; self-employed workers have also found jobs after the strict social distancing. Realizing that many people's difficulties have been alleviated, Ms. My's children advised her to take a break for a while to regain strength, but she could not stop. “Every afternoon, being informed from the phone asking for food, how can you just rest as many are still in need?” said Ms. My. She added that her group would not rest but keep on offering food once a week on Saturday morning. The other time of the week will be for regular volunteer activities of the group.

Giving is receiving

My's volunteer group was planning to reorganize charity activities that have been interrupted due to the Covid-19 epidemic for a few days. In the immediate future, if the epidemic is not too complicated and bt the permission of the relevant authorities, the group will cook rice for the patients at Tan Dinh Psychiatric Nursing Center and then give it free in Binh Phuoc province. The group said to organize the distribution of dumplings at the provincial General Hospital when allowed. In addition, when students return to school, Ms. My's group will also reorganize the cooking for 2 charity classes in Phu Cuong and Chanh My wards. The activity has been maintained for the past 6 years. Before the epidemic, when the charity classes were still in persons, Ms. My's group cooked 30 sets of rice for the children every day. During the complicated epidemic days, although it was not possible to organize cooking for the classroom, the group members sponsored rice and other necessities for the students in those charity classes. In addition to the students of the charity classes, Ms. My's group also alternately donated tons of rice to the quarantine and blockade areas in the city and some other places in the province.

Volunteers receive porridge servings from Ms. My and deliver to people in hardship

For more than 10 years getting to volunteer activities, Ms. My has always been lively and enthusiastically active in all programs for the poor. She said that she could not remember how many houses the benefactors and she had built but to only remember the joy in the eyes of those who received new houses. She could remember the firm handshake to show gratitude and the sentiments of the local government leaders who were so grateful to the volunteer group that local people were helped.

“We were happy but we just forgot all our fatigue on seeing the poor enjoying a box of porridge and a meal. We are also really happy when we build a house or cook a meal for a patient or just give some humble food to someone in need," said Ms. My.

The journey to the poor of Ms. My and those in the volunteer group will be on with more programs, plans and intentions. It goes as saying that giving is receiving. Giving is an act of helping those in difficulty so that we ourselves will receive peace and warmth in our souls. Just give it away as those of the “VND 0 porridge pot” program had been doing during the past Covid-19 epidemic outbreak.

Reported by Tri Dung – T.Nguyen – Translated by Vi Bao

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To live is to give away

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