Non-profit organisation Food Bank Vietnam opens a food bank warehouse in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Bến Tre on May 21. VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Phúc Hậu

HCM CITY — The non-profit organisation Food Bank Vietnam has set up a warehouse in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Bến Tre.

It will be used to store food for donating to disadvantaged people in Bến Tre and neighbouring provinces.

Speaking at the inauguration of the facility on May 21, Nguyễn Văn Triều, president of the Association for Supporting Poor Patients in Bến Tre, said the warehouse would help meet the increased demand for food as more and more people are unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nguyễn Thị Bé, a lottery ticket seller in Bến Tre Town’s Ward 6, said she could save money by getting fresh food from the warehouse. Her income has dropped sharply in the last two years due to COVID restrictions, she added.

Nguyễn Hoàng Trúc Linh, chief operating officer of Food Bank Vietnam, said it is the second such warehouse to be set up in Việt Nam, and has helped increase the distribution of food to poor, homeless, disadvantaged elderly, unemployed, and other vulnerable people in the delta.

The food collected from food organisations, and corporations, supermarkets, restaurants, and farmers will be stored in the warehouse for distribution to those in need, she said.

The first warehouse was opened in HCM City last January.

Founded in 2016, Food Bank helps not only relieve hunger but also reduce food waste. —VNS