Nearly a decade of keeping the fire of the 0-dong rice kitchen

Persistent journey spreading love

The 0-dong charity rice shop was founded by Ms. Nguyen Hue and a close younger sibling, officially operating since 2016. Ms. Hue shared that the rice shop did not start from a big plan, but simply came from a "fate".

“Initially, the idea of opening a restaurant came from a young Vietnamese overseas. I only intended to support management but then couldn't find a suitable person, so the two sisters decided to start doing it themselves. At that time, I just thought I would do it according to my ability,” Ms. Hue shared.

In the early days, the restaurant planned to distribute about 50 meals per day. However, thanks to the spread, the number of meals gradually increased, currently maintaining about 120 meals per day.

The rice shop operates entirely on a voluntary basis, without publicly calling for donations. Every day, the kitchen starts operating from 7 am. By about 10 am, meals have been prepared in time to be handed to poor workers, lonely elderly people, those who often have to go to work early or have difficulty waiting for a long time.

The kitchen team consists of 3-4 people, working continuously until about 11 am. The rice shop operates from Monday to Saturday. Although only operating with a charitable spirit, for Ms. Hue, every step must still be carried out meticulously, responsibly, ensuring full quality and safety.

“We prepare dishes from 100% fresh food, sticky, delicious rice. Each meal has main dishes made from meat, fish, side dishes, soup and rice. In addition to daily meals, the restaurant also flexibly supports additional special cases that can receive 2 meals/day for dinner” - Ms. Hue shared.

Unmeasurable warm things

With the regular rice cooking model, the pressure from costs, human resources to strict requirements on food safety is much greater.

I still want to maintain the initial principle of financial proactiveness, not depending on calling for support, so that the kitchen can operate stably and long-term" - Ms. Hue said.

From a small kitchen, the 0-dong rice shop gradually became a bridge to help many more difficult circumstances. Currently, in addition to distributing free rice, Ms. Hue also connects to support about more than 50 cases of disadvantaged students being sponsored tuition fees, lonely elderly people being supported with living expenses and periodic rice distribution programs (10kg/person/month).

Among those who have been attached to the 0-dong rice shop for many years, the story of Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (58 years old, Hai Phong) has moved many people. After a serious traffic accident, Mr. Hung was run over one leg by a container truck, seriously injured, and his health deteriorated. The event also caused his family to break down, he lived alone and came to the rice shop as a support for nearly ten years.

For him, this rice shop is not only a place to receive meals every day, but also a spiritual support to help him have more faith to continue living.

Also attached to the restaurant from the early days is Mr. Nguyen Van Hoi, now over 80 years old. Orphaned from childhood, unmarried, homeless. For the past 10 years, Mr. Hoi has regularly received meals at the restaurant every day and is connected to sponsor 500,000 VND per month to cover living expenses.

Not noisy, not ostentatious, the 0 VND rice shop in Hai Phong still regularly ignites, becoming a familiar support for many people amidst the busy pace of life. For Ms. Hue, the value of the rice shop is not in the number of meals, but in the silent spread of kindness. Just a little care, a little sharing, life can become more meaningful and warmer.

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