Free meals and free buses sow hope in hospitals

Amidst the bustling life of Hanoi, in Thai Phu village, Soc Son commune, there is a quiet worker who spends most of his free time cooking meaningful meals and operating 0 VND trips for the poor. He is Nguyen Qui Tam, born in 1990, a simple laborer but has a kind heart.

Since 2017, Mr. Tam has started participating in charity activities. The motivation comes from my own difficult experiences. As a child, he used to pick up trash, hit the shoes, and do all kinds of jobs as long as he could earn a living. Those difficult years sowed in him the seed of compassion, urging him not to ignore the suffering of the less fortunate.

The big turning point came in 2022, when he had to take care of his mother and treat her at the K2 Tam Hiep Institute. Here, he witnessed many situations that made anyone feel sad. These are poor patients who have to borrow every penny to treat their illness, have daily meals such as corn and potatoes, and have families who have not enough money to rent a car to return home when their loved ones have passed away.

It was those experiences that urged him to call on everyone to set up a zero-dong rice kitchen. At the same time, he mobilized volunteers to contribute to buy a 0 VND ambulance, open charity trips, help poor families, share the burden in times of trouble.

Initially, it was just small meals, a few trips to support, gradually, Mr. Tam connected many hearts to join hands. The funding for the activity comes entirely from voluntary contributions from the community.

Before cooking a 0 VND meal, he went up to the menu, discussed with the group to reach an agreement, then ordered fresh food. We dont eat frozen foods, we always try to make sure the meals are as clean and delicious as possible, he said.

The time and location of the rice spills are fixed according to the available cycle and have been notified to patients since the previous evening. Every month, Mr. Tam and his group divide rice about twice. The first time is on the first Sunday of the month (about 400 servings) and the second time is on the 5th of the third week of the month (about 600 servings).

The main beneficiaries are patients receiving long-term treatment at Hematology Hospitals, where the economic burden has almost eroded all hopes of many families.

Along with the kitchen is the operation of a zero-dong bus. Mr. Tam's group operates in a flexible manner, whoever receives information about the situation and needs help will be put in the group, and those who can go will receive the trip. For cases that do not need specialized vehicles, the group will allocate funds to support bus fares. "Just by helping people get home safely, we are happy," he simply said.

feedback from recipients is the biggest motivation. Many patients look forward to the monthly rice cooking schedule. There are people who initially did not believe in free support, did not believe that a 0 VND trip really existed. But when they received help, they cried with emotion.

Looking back on the past, Mr. Tam admitted that the first 3 years were the most difficult time. No one believes, no budget, no human resources, but he chooses to persevere, share the real story, do the real thing, so that time can prove everything.

Volunteer activities not only change the lives of many poor people, but also change him and his family. I learn to share, understand and believe in the power of the community, he said.

In the future, Mr. Tam just hopes to continue to do well at his ability, maintain a 0 VND rice kitchen and try to cook 1-2 more meals a month. For him, volunteering is simply giving others a support so that they have more confidence to overcome the most difficult days of their lives.

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