A member of the Women's Union of Hòa Thọ Tây Ward provides a free meal to those in need. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

ĐÀ NẴNG — Women's Union members in Hòa Thọ Tây Ward, central Đà Nẵng City, are collecting second-hand bottles and scraps to sell for money to maintain a zero đồng kitchen serving the needy.

Every Tuesday morning, at a house on Nguyễn Phú Hường, Ngô Thị Cẩm Linh, several members of the Hoà Thọ Tây Ward Women's Union, gather to cook free meals.

The meals are provided at the ward’s cultural house.

In a small kitchen, each person is responsible for a specific job, preparing or cooking the meals. To have fresh ingredients, these women get up at 4:30 am and go to the market to buy meat, vegetables and fish.

Linh said that these zero đồng kitchens are maintained by the ward's Women's Union once a week, with more than 50 meals per day distributed free of charge to workers, students and lottery ticket sellers.

“Meals change from week to week, between soup, bread and porridge,” Linh said.

“We each have a job, but every Tuesday morning, we gather together to go to the market to cook and then deliver for free. Each bowl of porridge and soup may not be costly, but it will help some people in need," she said.

The meals, after being prepared hygienically, are delivered to the cultural house located on Nguyễn Phú Hường, about 50 metres from Linh's house, to be distributed free of charge to those in need.

Nguyễn Thị Huệ, a union member said to have funding for the zero đồng kitchen, members collect second-hand bottles and scraps to sell, as well as rely on sponsors who also contribute money for the kitchen.

“In the ward, where mainly workers live, many families have faced difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that the breakfast meals cooked by the union members will help everyone," said Huệ.

For nearly two months, every Tuesday morning, Nguyễn Trung Kiên, a 5th grader, goes with his friends to the cultural house to enjoy a free breakfast.

The Women's Union arranges plastic tables and chairs for Kiên and his friends to eat breakfast before going to school.

“Every week, I wait until Tuesday to receive breakfast from the cooks. The food they cook is very good, so I go with friends in similar circumstances to enjoy meals," Kiên said.

Võ Thùy Dương, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Hòa Thọ Tây Ward said: “There are currently 10 women participating in the zero đồng kitchen. This is a social welfare activity to partially support women and children in difficult circumstances.”  VNS