HONG KONG (SE): MercyHK, a charity group founded by Oblate Missionary Father John Wotherspoon, set up a canteen for needy people to distribute free meals and spread the word of God. The canteen started operations on September 18, before an official blessing by Cardinal-elect Stephen Chow Sau Yan SJ, bishop of Hong Kong, scheduled in November.
The MercyHK Canteen, located at 191 Temple Street, used to sell secondhand goods and had been a distribution centre for needy people during the pandemic. In May this year, the organisation started the plan to turn the centre into a canteen with a purpose to give former prisoners a job opportunity, offer free meals to the needy, and to support the funding of the organisation [Sunday Examiner, May 21].
MercyHK at present subsidises accommodation and daily meals for homelesss people, managing and renting residential units and guesthouse places. Around 200 coupons per day for free meals were issued to those in need. The group also offers free medical consultation and medicine for needy people.
Father Wotherspoon, before a simple opening prayer, thanked the donors, friends who helped with its renovation, the staff of MercyHK as well as all others contributed to the setting up of the canteen. “Today, we thank God for giving a chance to serve the society here,” he said, adding that every customer is helping the organisation to subsidise the needy.
The missionary said that although many employers are hesitant to hire former prisoners, his canteen will only employ such people. “I believe many people, especially the faithful, will come to support the canteen because we hire them,” he said. He was happy that the 22 seats of the canteen were filled up 20 minutes after it opened, with people waiting outside.
The canteen offers a variety of food including drinks, dumplings, dim sum and steamed rice. The canteen supports environmental protection and does not offer plastic disposable utensils.
He pointed out that another special thing about the canteen is that an office of social worker of MercyHK, Lucia Leung Mei-ling, is attached to it, so that when people need help, they can have a relaxing milieu in which to talk.
The canteen employs five former prisoners, helping them to integrate into society. According to Leung, some are experienced in the catering business, but are still willing to learn. She hopes the canteen can encourage other employers to hire them.
I need to thank God and Father Wotherspoon for letting me know MercyHK and giving me a job opportunity
Tony
Tony, a waiter, recalled that Father Wotherspoon approached him in prison in 2014 and led him to God. He was baptised in 2021. After being released from prison in May this year, he was a volunteer at a drug addiction treatment centre. “But I think I have to live out my faith and come into contact with more people so it is good that I can work here,” he said.
“I need to thank God and Father Wotherspoon for letting me know MercyHK and giving me a job opportunity,” he added. At present, he lives in a residential unit subsidised by the organisation.
Tony shared that potential employers may face former prisoners with suspicion. “Our efforts will not always be appreciated and our mistakes can be exaggerated,” he noted. However, he said he understands their concerns. “It is okay. We are people whose names have appeared in newspapers. People can have their own views. But what most important is that God knows what we are doing.”
He called on prisoners who believe in God to uphold their faith and not to give up.
Frank Ho Fu-wing, a district council member in Yau Ma Tei, also came to the opening ceremony and expressed his gratitude for MercyHK and Father Wotherspoon for helping the homeless people in Temple Street and offering drug rehabilitation through spiritual means. “But for the services of MercyHK, homelessneess would have been a more serious issue in the district,” he said.
Eddie Chan Chi-hong, director of MercyHK, said what the group wants to do is to spread the Good News through its various works.
Since most customers during its first morning ordered the “Mercy Special Drink” out of curiosity, as no ingredients was listed in the menu, he said, “Taste it with heart, and you will find God’s love is the main ingredient.”
