Sun Guidong, chief reporter of Peninsula All Media
A few pancakes, a bowl of egg drop soup, the old people in the village sat in the square to chat and eat together, and the simple food showed family affection...... Recently, Ms. Shao, who lives in Dongwalihou Village, Jimo Lingshan Street, Qingdao, has to go home often to take care of her parents because the elderly are sick. Seeing that many of the children of the elderly in the village were not around, she discussed with her husband and set up a cauldron in the village square, insisting on cooking a dinner for the elderly five days a week, and at most more than 60 people, which not only solved the cooking problem of some elderly people, but also made everyone have more joy.
At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon of July 25, the reporter came to the square of Dongwalihou Village, Lingshan Street. Ms. Shao and her husband had arrived at the square and turned on the pancake machine. With the help of the villagers, steaming pancakes were delivered to the table. In the big pot next to it, cucumber and egg soup is boiling.
They usually start their meal around 5 p.m. However, the old man who smelled the smell of rice came to the square early.
The reporter saw that there were three tables with a total of about 20 elderly people. Ms. Shao introduced that the elderly will eat at a slightly different time, and can accommodate more than 60 people during peak hours.
"It's a really good meal, and the old neighbors are happy to sit and eat together." An old man said that no one in the family is short of this bit of food now, but there are so many tables, and the old neighbors get together, and everyone is very happy to talk and laugh. This meal is also comfortable to eat.
Why do we have a charity dinner? Ms. Shao, the initiator, said that when she was a child, she was relatively weak, and relatives and friends took good care of her. Two years ago, her brother passed away, and both parents were over 80 years old.
At the beginning of this year, my mother had a serious illness, and she had to go home from Jimo City to take care of her. I have been outside before, and I have had less contact with the elderly. After staying in her hometown for a while, she found that there were many old people in the village, and most of the children lived outside.
Some elderly people have inconvenient lives, and more elderly people lack family care. So, she went back to discuss it with her husband, who readily agreed. "Look at your own parents, too, and help others by the way." Ms. Shao said that her husband has relatively sufficient time for working in the domestic industry. So, every afternoon, they made some pancakes and egg soup. The cost is not high, about 200 yuan a day.
At first, some old people didn't understand, but slowly, more and more people came. Due to their limited ability, they set the age at over 70 years old. At present, there are an average of thirty or forty people a day, and at the most there are more than 60 people.
At the same time, they also shared their daily life on the online platform, which attracted the attention of many people, some liked, and some questioned.
Ms. Shao's husband said that all they can do is to be themselves and not interfere with other people's opinions, as long as these elderly people really benefit.
Through short videos and word of mouth among the elderly in the village, more and more people know about this public welfare action, and some people have joined in one after another.
Ms. Liu, who married into a neighboring village, heard about it when she returned to her parents' home. Soon, she joined the team.
"I had a sudden change in my family before, and I got the help of many caring people in the society, and I also want to give back to the society." Ms. Liu said that the old people in the village grew up watching themselves. It is also very meaningful to have time to go back to the village to help spread a pancake.
Sun Jijun, the head of a local company in Jimo, immediately donated 40 boxes of mineral water. Mr. Sun said that he is usually keen on public welfare, and when he saw this on the short video platform, he immediately contacted Ms. Shao. Their company has a mineral water production line, so they sent a few boxes over. For many elderly people, they do not lack food and drink, but need to be together for company. He will also continue to donate some mineral water, hoping that the event will continue.
In addition, some people from the village have also joined in, and there are already six public welfare volunteers. Ms. Shao hopes to continue this love activity. At the same time, they also hope that more caring people will join in, and the food will be better every meal. After the children's summer vacation is over, she still has to pick up and drop off the children every day, which is relatively insufficient. If more people participate, as long as the weather is good, the elderly can have a lively and affectionate dinner.