Full of love
From 5am, Mr. Tai’s family members woke up, went to the market to buy meat, vegetables, tubers… to prepare. After cooking rice (10kg of rice), Mr. Tai moved on to preparing food. In the kitchen, his wife - Mrs. Pham Thi Ninh and 2 daughters Nguyen Thi Hue, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan prepared boxes of rice, soup; brought food to the front of the house to give to the poor…
CCB Nguyen Tuan Tai gave and wore a raincoat to help a person receive rice from "Zero-dong Kitchen".
Mr. Tai said: “My family believes in doing charity work with a sincere heart, so the food source is always guaranteed to be fresh and delicious, purchased and processed on the same day. People who come to receive rice enjoy it and will come again next time.”
We stopped at “Zero-dong Kitchen” on a drizzly morning due to the impact of storm No. 1. Although Mr. Tai’s family did not give out rice until 11am, at 10:30am, Mr. Nguyen Van Duc (49 years old) and many others arrived.
Mr. Duc lives about 2km from Mr. Tai's house. Previously, Mr. Duc worked for fishing boats, but in the past 10 years, a stroke left him paralyzed in one arm and limping in both legs... Mr. Duc returned to Can Tho to live with his mother, who is 68 years old. Every day, Mr. Duc's mother sells lottery tickets, earning about 100,000 VND. "I love my mother very much, but I am too weak to sell lottery tickets. I ask for cold rice from the people in the area to dry and sell, earning about 5,000 VND/day. It has been raining for a few days now, I can't buy or sell anything, so I stopped by Mr. Tai to ask for 2 boxes of rice for my mother and I to eat together" - Mr. Duc confided.
The rain got heavier and heavier, and more and more people came to the house of veteran Nguyen Tuan Tai to receive rice. They were lottery ticket sellers, street vendors, scrap collectors, people in difficult circumstances... Mr. Tai's family members quickly took rice and food and passed it to the recipients. Giving the lunch box to the motorbike taxi driver, Mr. Tai kindly encouraged: "It's so hard to drive in the rain and wind, keep up the good work, son. Today, "Zero-dong Kitchen" has ginger-braised duck, eat it to warm your stomach"...
The person in charge of cooking food at "Zero-dong Kitchen" is Mr. Tai's youngest daughter - Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan, 30 years old. Ms. Tuyet Lan often cooks dishes and sells them online. Gradually, Ms. Lan's skills improved and she had more customers, so she thought of doing charity work. Since 2021, Ms. Tuyet Lan and her parents have been cooking broken rice, sticky rice, minced meat porridge, noodles... to give to night workers who have no place to go. Every month, her family cooks 200-500 meals. Family members and friends bring food to give away at hospitals and on roads in the inner city of Can Tho.
Since the “Zero-cost Kitchen” model was born, members of the family of veteran Nguyen Tuan Tai have cooked meals for the poor on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The dishes are changed regularly; on full moon days, vegetarian food is given. The total cost of cooking for the poor by veteran Nguyen Tuan Tai’s family is about 20 million VND/month.
Ms. Tuyet Lan said: “Every day, my father and I often go to the market. My father always encourages family members to try to help the poor, to help as much as we can. One day, the lottery ticket sellers came home late, so my father and I saved some rice and waited to give it to them…”
Soldier in peacetime
Veteran Nguyen Tuan Tai was born in Ninh Binh province. In 1973, he enlisted in the 525th Transport Regiment, Transport Department, General Department of Logistics (now General Department of Logistics - Engineering). Mr. Tai participated in many battles and major campaigns, contributing to the liberation of the South and the unification of the country... In 1982, Mr. Tai returned to his hometown to marry Ms. Pham Thi Ninh. After being demobilized, Mr. Tai brought his family to Ca Mau province to start a business.
More than 10 years ago, Mr. Tai's family moved to live in Can Tho City. Promoting the traditional qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers", Mr. Tai actively participated in the work of the Veterans Association. Mr. Tai is the Head of the Veterans Association in Area 3, Hung Thanh Ward (now Cai Rang Ward). The Association has 23 members, including 5 members in especially difficult circumstances due to old age, illness, lack of land for production... Mr. Tai regularly mobilizes benefactors to sponsor rice, instant noodles, and necessities for the veterans. At the same time, he encourages members to strive to improve their lives.
Over the past 10 years, Mr. Tai and the War Veterans in the War Veterans Association of Region 3 have implemented many effective and widespread civil mobilization models in the locality, such as: "Collecting and destroying pesticide packaging", "Urban civilized route"...
Mr. Tai's house is located on Road No. 2, Tay Do Cultural Center, a road more than 500m long. Many households living on the road often go to work early and come home late. Therefore, for many years, Mr. Tai has volunteered to clean the road. Twice a day, he sweeps leaves, cuts weeds... When it rains, Mr. Tai takes trash from the sewer to clear the flow, so that the road is not flooded. His quiet work has been recognized by local authorities and party committees; people in the area praise, support, and join hands with him to protect the environment, contributing to preserving the green - clean - beautiful landscape on the roads.
According to Mr. Tran Hai Vinh, Deputy Head of the Organization, Inspection and Movement Committee of the Association of War Veterans of Can Tho City, War Veteran Nguyen Tuan Tai is an exemplary War Veteran member, a pioneer in the movements of the Association of War Veterans; a typical example in studying and following the ideology, morality and style of Ho Chi Minh . In particular, the "Zero-dong Kitchen" model established by the family of War Veterans Nguyen Tuan Tai many years ago is a humane and noble gesture. The City War Veterans Association will direct its affiliated Associations to study and replicate the model; mobilize the City's War Veterans Business - Entrepreneurs Club and other units and benefactors to support the family of War Veteran Nguyen Tuan Tai to maintain the "Zero-dong Kitchen"... Thereby, contributing to sharing with those in difficult circumstances, preserving and promoting the traditional qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" among the cadres and members of the City War Veterans Association.
Article and photos: PHAM TRUNG
Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/am-ap-bep-0-dong--a188161.html
Comment (0)