Chengdu restaurant provides nearly 300,000 free meals over nine years

(ECNS) -- A vegetarian restaurant in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has provided nearly 300,000 free meals to sanitation workers, food delivery riders and couriers over nearly nine years, turning a simple act of kindness into a sustained community service initiative.

Taihe Vegetarian Restaurant, located in Shuangliu District, began offering free breakfasts to sanitation workers shortly after it opened in December 2017. Its owner, Wang Chengfu, noticed that sanitation workers sat on the steps outside the restaurant early each morning, eating cold steamed buns they had brought from home.

Moved by their long hours and demanding work, Wang decided to offer them free breakfasts after visiting local communities and assessing their needs.

Yang Xianshu, one of the sanitation workers who inspired the initiative, said Wang invited her inside after seeing her eating steamed buns outside. She was hesitant at first but eventually accepted the offer and encouraged other workers to join her.

In the past nine years, Yang has eaten at the restaurant regularly. Besides breakfast, she sometimes has lunch and dinner there, saving more than 10,000 yuan over the years.

The initiative met with skepticism at the beginning, with some questioning whether it was a marketing ploy or how long the restaurant would continue offering free meals.

To dispel those doubts, Wang personally visited neighborhoods to invite sanitation workers to try the food. As word spread, more workers went to the restaurant. By Dec. 24, 2017, the restaurant was serving 40 to 50 sanitation workers a day.

"What I admire most about the owner is not just his kindness, but also his perseverance over so many years," Yang said.

The initiative, expanded in 2022 with support from the Shuangliu District Federation of Trade Unions, extended the free breakfast service to three meals a day and began covering food delivery riders and couriers. Trade union subsidies now account for about 40 percent of the restaurant's operating funds.

Support has also come from across society. A vegetable supplier in Shandong Province has provided vegetables at reduced prices over the long term, while students from Southwest Minzu University have volunteered during their holidays.

The restaurant has also added a reading room and a rest area and provides services such as heatstroke-prevention medicine.

Li Xiaojuan, the restaurant's manager, said its charity now spans seven areas, including services for older people, free meals, youth education, and free dining for children with intellectual disabilities and people with disabilities.

This year, the restaurant also launched a program for young people who finish work late, offering meals originally priced at 23 yuan for 13 yuan.

"Charity is not about giving alms," Wang said. "With material living standards improving, what they really need is to be seen and recognized."

(By Zhang Dongfang)