The pot of porridge of love from the chefs of Hai Phong

Hai Phong Chef Volunteer Club and philanthropists cook porridge for patients at the Naval Medical Institute.

The highlight of the Club's volunteer journey is the hot pots of porridge at the hospitals. Every month, 4 pots of charity porridge are brought to serve free of charge to patients and their families at Ngo Quyen General Hospital, Viet Tiep Friendship Hospital 1, Kien An Lung Hospital and Naval Medical Institute. Each pot of porridge contains not only grains of rice, pieces of meat, and vegetables, but also the heart and sympathy of the chefs for patients fighting the disease. In a bowl of hot porridge, people find comfort and encouragement to have more strength to overcome the pain.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, a relative of a patient at Viet Tiep 1 Friendship Hospital, emotionally shared: “The days taking care of my husband in the hospital, the living expenses were very expensive. Receiving a bowl of porridge from the club warmed my heart, not only because I had an extra meal but also because I felt the care of the community.”

Not stopping there, the Club also cares for the unfortunate lives in the heart of the city. Meals are delivered to the homeless, children who need dialysis at Hai Phong Children's Hospital, or lonely elderly people with no place to live. Those are moments that make the recipients moved to tears, and the givers feel warm in their hearts. There are late nights when the convoy of Club members quietly roams the streets, hastily delivering lunch boxes and loaves of bread to the homeless, small gifts but full of humanity.

Mr. Dang Van Cuong, Head of the Charity Committee, Hai Phong Professional Chefs Association, founder of the Club shared: “We are people who work in the kitchen, familiar with charcoal fire, preparing food for others. When faced with difficult lives, our first thought is to cook them a delicious, nutritious meal with all the passion of a professional chef, so that they feel they are not forgotten”. That simple saying is also the guiding principle for the Club's journey of nearly 4 years.

To maintain the activities, the members do not hesitate to face difficulties. Each program is carefully prepared, from calling for raw materials and funding, to assigning cooking and transportation. Some contribute labor and some contribute money, all with the same sole purpose of bringing joy and sharing. Thanks to that, the Chef Charity Club has become a reliable support, a place to connect kind hearts.

In addition to regular activities, the Club also flexibly organizes many programs on holidays and Tet. Hundreds of Tet gifts and green Chung cakes are sent to families with preferential policies, poor households, and patients who have to stay in the hospital. On International Children's Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, members transform into "Uncle Cuoi" and "Sister Hang", bringing joy and laughter to disadvantaged children at SOS Children's Villages, Hoa Phuong Villages, etc. Each program is a beautiful mark, affirming the spirit of "the whole leaves cover the torn leaves" which is a precious tradition of Hai Phong people.

Chairman of the Hai Phong Professional Chefs Association Mai Quang Van said that the club's activities have received support from local authorities, agencies, organizations and a large number of people. Many families who were once recipients have returned to become members, continuing to contribute to share with others. That spread is the great human value that the club brings. With meaningful activities, the Hai Phong Chefs Charity Club and philanthropists deserve to be respected and recognized. Because in the midst of a busy life, they have chosen to live beautifully, live to give, live to share.

In the hustle and bustle of urban life, the image of Hai Phong chefs wearing aprons, smiling kindly next to pots of porridge with love has become the brilliant “red phoenix flowers”, adding beauty to the city. They are not only cooking, but also sowing seeds of love and kindness.

THU HANG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/noi-chao-nghia-tinh-cua-nhung-dau-bep-dat-cang-519056.html