The car '37 Charity Bread Fund'

(Baonghean) - The idea began to form when reading articles about "free bread boxes" located in Hanoi, Saigon, Hue... a group of 4 people including Mr. Hoang Quoc Ky, Pham Hoang, Nguyen Minh Tuan, Ms. Vo Thuy Trang and some other young people in Vinh city joined hands to build a "free bread and drinks for the poor" cart.

Amidst the bustling city, there are small corners filled with human affection. Photo: Binh Nguyen.

Mr. Hoang Quoc Ky said that the brothers in the group had participated in many charity programs in Nghe An and decided to carry out the project "Free bread and drinks for the poor" with the hope of being able to help them more, even if it was just a meal to fill their stomachs.

And after 1 month of preparation, the project officially started on July 9. At exactly 6:30 a.m., the free bread and drink cart is pushed out to the sidewalk at house number 9, Le Loi Street, Vinh City. Every day, 100 solid breads will be put into the cart multiple times. Each time, there will be 20 to ensure that when they reach the recipients, the breads are still hot and hygienic.

For the past few days, free cakes and cups of water have helped the two street vendors in Le Loi area to be less tired on their way to make a living. Photo: Thanh Cuong.

In the early days, because not many poor workers knew about it or were hesitant to take the cake, the men and some volunteers stood at the car inviting and handing it to each person. These people could be street vendors, old people collecting scrap metal, porters or people from the countryside who came to the city to find work...

According to Mr. Pham Hoang, to maintain the project, each person in the group and like-minded friends raised money and named it "Charity Bread Fund 37". Thanks to the "generous" hearts of everyone, the project initially operated quite smoothly. As for choosing a place to put the first car, the whole group was very concerned and spent a lot of effort to survey. Because the place to put the car had to be a public place with many poor workers and also needed enthusiastic people to let them park their cars as well as support reporting when they ran out of bread, water, etc.

Volunteers give free water and bread to a girl preparing to board the bus home. Photo: An Vien.

Ms. Huong, the owner of house number 9 on Le Loi Street - where the car is located, said that when she learned about the goodwill of everyone, she was willing to join hands to be able to hand out free bread and cups of water to more people. Even when the volunteer group was not present, she would come out to offer bread and water to the poor workers.

Mr. Le Nguyen Huy, a resident on Le Loi Street, said that when he and many other residents in the area first saw the car, they were quite surprised. After learning about the project, he felt that this was a beautiful action that should be replicated, and that it gave him more faith and love for today's youth.

With the initial success of the “Bread and drinks for the poor” car, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan hopes that when there is more funding, they can buy a little more milk and sausages to put in each piece of bread as well as be able to place more cars at the city’s gateways - places where there are often many poor workers and people from the countryside who come to the city to find work.

In today's busy, dynamic, and multifaceted life, the "Bread and drinks for the poor" car in Vinh City is like a kind act, a sharing with those who still have many difficulties in making a living.

Chu Thanh