'A meal of love' in the vibrant green of youth.

"The children wearing the Youth Union uniform"

On Saturday morning, hearing the "ding-ding" sound of the phone announcing, "This morning, cook rice as a gift for Mrs. Tuyet in Hamlet 3 and Mr. Luu in Chua Thang Hamlet," the group members prepared to head to the "meeting place."

For the past five years, cooking meals for the elderly and those living alone has become a regular activity for the youth union members of Lien Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district). Each time they cook a meal, the group leader announces it through a group chat on their phone.

From early morning, in front of "Mother Tuyet's" small garden, the "children" in their green volunteer shirts chattered and cleaned, sweeping and preparing food. The kitchen, built over 50 years ago, was covered in moss and looked old and dilapidated; people had to bend down to avoid bumping into the doorway.

Youth union members in Lien Thanh commune prepare a "Meal of Love" in "Mother Tuyet's" kitchen. Photo: Hoai Thu

"Mother Tuyet," 76 years old, stood at the door, her mouth beaming with a bright smile, her eyes squinting as she watched her "children" cook and clean the house. She chuckled and said, "I've lived alone for more than half my life, taking care of the ancestral worship for my brother, a fallen soldier. I have no children, and I suffer from a herniated disc and high blood pressure, making it very difficult for me to move around. Usually, I cook one meal a day to eat all day. Many days, I'm so tired I just lie down and don't want to eat. Luckily, my children, the youth union members, often visit, so I'm not so lonely."

After saying that, "Mother Tuyet" sat on the doorstep, watching her children in blue shirts happily laughing and playing in a corner of the yard, her eyes sparkling with joy. In the small, cramped kitchen, the youth union members were cooking and chatting animatedly. Cooking a family meal had become familiar to them, so everyone was quick and nimble. Some washed vegetables, others cooked meat, fried spring rolls... The skillful Hang Nguyet arranged tomato flowers and lettuce on the plate of fragrant fried spring rolls.

“Today, Uncle Thong contributed chicken eggs from his garden, and Anh Vung contributed vegetables from his yard. When I went to the market to buy meat, the ladies there gave me a 50% discount. Each meal we give to the mothers includes savory dishes, vegetables, meat or fish, worth about 150,000 dong,” said Hang Nguyet, Deputy Secretary of the Lien Thanh Commune Youth Union, while setting the table.

"Mother Tuyet" is happy to receive the care and attention of her children. Photo: Hoai Thu

We asked Hang Nguyet why she called the members of her youth union "uncle." The petite, quick-witted girl explained that the "Meal of Love" model, maintained by the Lien Thanh Commune Youth Union for five years, is organized twice a month on weekends. All youth union members in the commune participate. On some days, there are so many participants that we have to "divide the schedule." In Lien Thanh commune, many young people who are married, whose children are grown up, and who are past the age limit for joining the Youth Union, still participate as branch secretaries, such as Mr. Nguyen Ba Thong, born in 1978, Secretary of the Youth Union branch in Hamlet 3. Or Mr. Thai Van Vung, born in 1987, Secretary of the Youth Union branch in Hamlet 10… "Mr. Thong's son just finished the Youth Union orientation class and is preparing to join the Youth Union, and the father and son are now participating together in cooking meals for the parents…" Hang Nguyet added.

Having said that, Hang Nguyet carried a tray of nutritious, still-hot food and placed it on a small table in the main room of "Mother Tuyet's" house, a house built three years ago as a gesture of gratitude thanks to the efforts of philanthropists and the government. In the center of the house stood a solemn altar dedicated to "Mother Tuyet's" older brother, a martyr who fought in the war against the US to save the country. The children, dressed in their green uniforms, gathered around, and Nguyen Ba Thong served rice to Mother Tuyet, saying, "Please, Mother." Sitting at the table, Mrs. Tuyet quickly wiped away the tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks, marked by the passage of time with age spots and wrinkles. The atmosphere became somewhat somber due to her emotion.

The joy of "Mother Tuyet". Photo: Hoai Thu

Mrs. Tuyet's nephew, standing behind her, quickly spoke up to break the silence: "Knowing you'd be coming to cook dinner today, 'Mother Tuyet' bought some beer to 'snack on,' let me bring it up, okay?" Everyone laughed and the small house became lively again with chatter and greetings...

Bidding farewell to "Mother Tuyet," the children, dressed in their youth union uniforms, returned to Chua Thang hamlet to continue preparing meals for Mr. Nguyen Dang Luu. "To ensure we could prepare two meals for two needy families in time for lunch, the group assigned two teams to work simultaneously from the beginning of the day," Nguyen Hang Nguyet explained as she walked.

In the old, dilapidated house of Chùa Thàng hamlet, with its moss-covered walls and cobwebs beginning to form in many corners, lives Mr. Nguyễn Đăng Lưu, over 50 years old. He has no wife or children, no profession, and shows signs of intellectual disability, making him unable to support himself. Previously, Mr. Lưu lived with his elderly, blind mother. However, his mother passed away less than a week ago. Relatives and neighbors have pooled their resources to help with the funeral arrangements. The local temple is now responsible for the worship of his mother.

"Since his mother passed away, Mr. Luu often wanders around, returning home alone at night to his house, which was built more than 40 years ago. Neighbors who feel sorry for him give him a little food and drink. He's not good at cooking, so sometimes he wanders around hungry, and his relatives have to go find him and bring him home," a member of the Youth Union branch in Chua Thang hamlet said.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Luu eagerly awaits the family meal cooked by his "children". Photo: Hoai Thu

Ms. Truong Thi Tuong, a relative who calls Mr. Luu her nephew and lives right next to his house, shared that she usually goes to her son's house to look after her grandson. At mealtime, her daughter-in-law brings food to Mr. Luu. “She is 84 years old this year, and her children work far away. She can't cook herself because of her joint disease, so she has to rely on her daughter-in-law. Because they feel sorry for Mr. Luu, who is all alone, her children often bring him food. But sometimes they are too busy and can't bring it. Luckily, thanks to the care and attention of the youth union members, my grandson gets to enjoy these happy, hot meals,” Ms. Truong Thi Tuong expressed.

Sitting on a bamboo bench in the corner of the yard, a faint smile appeared on the weathered face of the man as he watched the young members of the Youth Union chop branches and clear away the bushes and weeds that had taken over a corner of his garden. Then he paced back and forth, admiring his "children" as they happily cooked rice and cleaned the house.

Spreading acts of kindness and compassion.

On the anniversary of the founding of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26th), the youth union members of Lien Thanh commune continued to cook "Meals of Love" for Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tham in Hamlet 3 and Mrs. Phan Thi Binh in Hamlet 2. "The anniversary of the youth, coinciding with a weekend, saw a sudden surge in the number of participating youth union members, many of whom were students from school youth union branches," boasted Nguyen Hang Nguyet, Deputy Secretary of the Lien Thanh Commune Youth Union.

The family members helped Mr. Luu cook meals and clean the house. Photo: Hoai Thu

Accompanying the enthusiastic young people, Mr. Nguyen Ba Tan - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lien Thanh commune, said: "The activity of cooking meals to donate to disadvantaged, vulnerable, and lonely people on weekends has been consistently maintained by youth union members for 5 years. Except for the time affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, this activity, which takes place twice a month, has never been interrupted. This is an activity with a great impact and is recognized by the community. Therefore, the people of the commune always support the work of the young people..."

Living near the Lien Thanh commune market, Ms. Phan Thi Loan said that every weekend morning, when the vendors see the children wearing their Youth Union uniforms coming to the market, everyone knows it's time for the children to give delicious meals to needy and disadvantaged families. Therefore, the women selling fish, meat, spices, and condiments "give away" their goods and donate the freshest and best food to support the children's meaningful activity.

“We also use Facebook, so every weekend when the youth group cooks meals, everyone knows about it. We also get to see many photos and videos that the children film while cooking, which is very fun. All donations are publicly disclosed and fully updated by the children. The women whose children and grandchildren participate in cooking are also enthusiastic and even donate extra money because they see the children's work as truly meaningful and heartwarming. Despite their young age, the children have been patient and persistent in doing this for many years, and we, the people, are very proud,” Ms. Loan expressed.

Nguyen Hang Nguyet shared that although the cost of cooking each meal is not much, only about 150,000 - 200,000 VND, it represents the effort and enthusiasm of each member. When participating in cooking, each youth union member contributes vegetables if they have them, eggs if they have them. Some contribute a few packets of salt, a bottle of fish sauce… Some older members with better financial means donate money to buy pots and pans, helping the group have better "tools" to cook delicious meals.

The "children in blue shirts" also shared that, "over time, it's become a habit; if we don't participate in cooking meals, we feel something is missing, we miss the elderly who are lonely and longing for our help..." As for us, although we only accompanied them for a short time during the years they have persistently carried out this work, we have also felt the spirit of youth: "Where there is a need, the youth are there; where there is difficulty, the youth are there," contributing to the happiness of smiles for each less fortunate life, multiplying acts of kindness and sharing in the community.