HONG KONG (SE): “People coming to get the meal boxes are all our old friends from previous gatherings. They should be regarded as gifts for our friends, not donations,” said Catherina Tam Woon-hung of the Community of Sant’Egidio, as the group distributed Chinese New Year food to the needy at their centre in Nathan Road on February 3, expressing the concern of the Church during the festive period. She believes the importance of every programme organised for the needy is not to give out things, but to build up friendship.
The Community of Sant’Egidio used to organise free meal gatherings twice a month prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. However, they had to be cancelled on account of the restrictions, so the community started distributing meal boxes. The centre gave out a sumptuous meal on February 3 to celebrate Chinese New Year with the boxes including traditional dishes such as oyster with fat choy (hair moss) and chicken in sesame source.
Members of the community and volunteers along with the priests and sisters from Our Lady of China Church, Tai Kok Tsui, helped to prepare the meals, enough for 70 people. Around 60 people were invited to collect the New Year gifts at different time slots to maintain social distancing. Besides meal boxes, the gift packages included cash coupons, food, laundry detergent, virus prevention materials and glutinous rice cakes given by the parents of Catholic schools.
Members of the community and volunteers along with the priests and sisters from Our Lady of China Church, Tai Kok Tsui, helped to prepare the meals, enough for 70 people. Around 60 people were invited to collect the New Year gifts at different time slots to maintain social distancing. Besides meal boxes, the gift packages included cash coupons, food, laundry detergent, virus prevention materials and glutinous rice cakes given by the parents of Catholic schools.
As community members gave out the meal boxes to their old friends, they also inquired after their health as well as the situations of their children since school was suspended.
Tam told the Kung Kao Po that the Chinese New Year reminds her of the need to care for the elderly who are without support from their families. She shared the story of Wu, an old lady whom she met during a free meal programme in an old people’s home. Wu had no family to support or visit her and was in great sorrow. To comfort the old Wu, Tam taught her to pray. “She was not a Catholic but she told me that she felt better after talking to Jesus and only Jesus could understand her,” Tam recalled.
While in the hospital before her death, Tam visited Wu who could not fully open her eyes, but her smile showed that she was ready to meet Jesus in heaven. Tam was deeply touched by the experience which made her realise the power of faith. This experience strengthened her determination to serve low-income families and the homeless better.
Jacky, a retiree who came to get the gifts, shared that his family led a more difficult life as one of his family members is sick. He felt sad to see more young people become homeless. “Now our neighbours tend to avoid talking to one another, but we should show care and concern all the more now,” he said.
“I feel happy to see people in this community having the courage to reach out to others in the pandemic, while most people maintain a distance from one another to avoid infection,” said Ms. Wong, a single mother. She said she loves the meal boxes given out by the community as they are healthy and some are complicated dishes requiring a lot of effort to prepare.
Eugenia Tsui Lai-yee brought around 10 additional gift packages to the homeless in Jordon Road, and updated herself about their recent situations. According to Tsui, most of the time some homeless people have a proper meal only once every two to three days and eat only biscuits for their meals. She hopes that the gift packages can help them in the Chinese New Year.
The community runs a shelter for the homeless known as Home of Mercy in Chungking Mansions, Tsim Sha Tsui, so that they can have a place to rest after work and take care of one another.
