9 thg 12, 20233 phút đọc

“Giving is forever”

Đã cập nhật: 17 thg 12, 2023

Over the past 8 years, a team of women volunteers, with the youngest member being 65 years old have distributed thousands of "cups of love congee" for free at Soc Son General Hospital.

Never too old for a bowl of hot congee

Ms. Do Thi Luc from Soc Son District, Hanoi, established a volunteer congee cooking group with elderly members of the village in 2015. For the past 8 years, the group has distributed charity congee at Soc Son General Hospital. Starting with only 4 members, the organization faced challenges in terms of resources and support.

However, the group has grown to over 10 members and gained more attention from the local community. Despite operating from a small kitchen with an area of about 25 square meters with a simple structure: the kitchen and a small corner inside to store things in Mieu Tho village, Tien Duoc commune, the dedicated volunteers have distributed thousands of cups of delicious congee to patients and their families.

Members of the congee group (Photo: Tra My)

Cooking congee becomes a habit every Tuesday morning

Ms. Do Thi Luc, the initiator of the "volunteer congee pot" shared what makes her and her members persistently stick with this work. The story originated a long time ago when she was sick and had to be treated at Bach Mai Hospital in the center of Hanoi city. She felt touched when she received a cup of congee from the elderly volunteer group and considered it a precious gift. From there, she wanted to bring the idea of a pot of volunteer congee to Soc Son - where she lives.

Whether it's winter or summer, every Tuesday at 4 a.m, the volunteer congee team gathers in the small kitchen to cook congee. They start by preparing the pot and water, and someone takes on the task of lighting the stove. Then, they boil water and add rice to the pot. Throughout the cooking process, the members take turns stirring the congee to ensure its deliciousness. Finally, they enhance the flavor by adding spices, vegetables, and mushrooms. To preserve the taste until the congee is delivered to the hospital, they also make sure to brew it.

The members take turns stirring the congee (Photo: Tra My)

The process of cooking congee (Video: R & C News reporters)

Happiness is born from the smallest things

While savoring a cup of hot, delicious congee, patients and their families expressed happiness and gratitude towards the volunteer team. Ms. Vu Thi Tinh from Doai Village, Soc Son, remarked, "The volunteer team's congee is incredibly tasty. At my age, my oral health is not the best, so receiving a cup of congee like this is truly a blessing."

Ms. Ngo Thi Tuat, who was taking care of her mother, also cherished the cup of congee distributed by the volunteers. She shared with our group of reporters, "I hope that this loving congee team will continue to uphold and spread positive values within the community."

The patient's smile is the most precious gift (Photo: R & C News reporters)

"As long as we have good health, we will persevere with this work"

When asked how long she plans to continue with this job, she said that this is a difficult question. “Currently, the members of the group are all old, and the youngest is nearly 70 years old, the remaining members are in their 70s and 80s. As long as we have good health, we will persevere with this work. We hope Buddha will bless our members with good health, to do long-term volunteer work and help poor patients, to ease their burden."

(Video: R & C News reporters)

Congee is a dish that mainly uses rice and water when cooking among many ethnic groups in East Asia and Southeast Asia. For Vietnamese people, congee is one of the two most common dishes: rice and congee. In addition to white congee, there is also congee cooked with many other ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, meats, and seafood, and spices such as garlic, ginger, green onions, or onions. etc. Depending on the cooking method and ingredients, people can cook hundreds of different types of congee. Each region of Vietnam often has its delicious congee made with local specialties.

In your opinion, what is the most appropriate age to participate in volunteer activities like this?