Eight years of warmth and love: Canteen in Chinese city of Shantou provides free meals for people in need

"People can get as much as they need here, and we make sure the food provided is always warm,” said Li Qiuping, a regular volunteer at a public-benefit canteen in Shantou city, south China’s Guangdong Province.

The fundamental role of the restaurant is to “warm the hearts of those in hardship,” she said.

Photo shows people lining up outside Sanyuan Canteen, a public-benefit canteen in Shantou city, south China’s Guangdong Province, to receive free boxed meals. (Photo courtesy of the interviewees)

Sanyuan Canteen was founded in 2016 by a man named Xiao Yi. Over the past eight years, it has been providing free lunch and dinner every day for anyone who needs free food, including elderly people without family, people with disabilities, residents from poor families, and people experiencing temporary difficulties.

Every day at 10 a.m., volunteers start cooking at the canteen, and around 11:30 a.m., they begin distributing boxed meals. Approximately 230 portions of lunch are distributed per day.

In the late afternoon, around 4 or 5 p.m., people who need boxed meals start coming in gradually, and the volunteers distribute another several dozen boxes.

Li Qiuping (left), a volunteer of Sanyuan Canteen, a public-benefit canteen in Shantou city, south China’s Guangdong Province, packs food at the canteen. (Photo courtesy of the interviewees)

The meals for three households that require home delivery are delivered by elderly female volunteers as they return to their own homes.

A boxed meal typically consists of at least three dishes, usually including one seafood dish, one meat dish, and one vegetarian dish.

The canteen doesn’t have a fixed menu, nor does it have specific shift schedules or division of labor for volunteers.

"Volunteers come when they have time, and we cook whatever dishes we have ingredients for and know how to make,” said Xiao, adding that two elderly female volunteers and several middle-aged female volunteers often come to help.

One of the regular female volunteers is Li, a 54-year-old cook working at a kindergarten in Shantou. Since learning about the canteen on the news eight years ago, she has become a regular volunteer, spending more than two hours cooking dishes in the canteen every weekend at noon.

Photo shows the free boxed meals provided by Sanyuan Canteen for people in need. Sanyuan Canteen is a public-benefit canteen in Shantou city, south China’s Guangdong Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewees)

Following Li’s lead, her two daughters, sister, sister-in-law, and other members of her family have also developed a habit of coming to the canteen to help now and then.

Over the past eight years, the canteen has experienced many changes. Its address has changed three times, and its operating space has evolved from a small room with a floorage of a dozen square meters to a well-equipped area spanning over 30 square meters.

With a wider variety of cooking utensils and equipment, including a steamer, wok, refrigerator, and induction cooker, the canteen is more confident about offering flavorful meals.

The volunteer team of the canteen has also grown, expanding from four or five members eight years ago to a large group of more than 50 people today, said Li, who added there are more than 10 volunteers working at the canteen every day.

Photo shows the free boxed meals provided by Sanyuan Canteen for people in need. Sanyuan Canteen is a public-benefit canteen in Shantou city, south China’s Guangdong Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewees)

According to Xiao, the operating costs of the canteen are covered by donations from kind-hearted people. For those times when the donations aren’t enough to cover daily expenses, Xiao himself or staunch supports of the canteen make up the difference.

Although he once paid more than 40,000 yuan ($5,591.75) in one month for the expenses of the canteen, Xiao feels that money isn’t one of the canteen’s biggest challenges.

Having experienced doubts, irresponsible remarks, and even rumors about the canteen, Xiao realized how trust is a rare and precious source of strength.

Fortunately, as it silently warms the hearts of people in need with carefully prepared meals, the canteen has attracted the attention of more caring people across the country, especially after two vloggers posted videos of the canteen online not long ago.

Since the beginning of this year, more people have volunteered to help at the canteen and made donations. With these new donations, the canteen can basically cover all of its operating costs.

"Many young people in their 20s and 30s volunteer to help on their days off, and there are also children who come with their parents, wanting to use their lucky money received during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday to do good deeds,” said Li, who donates 180 yuan on a monthly basis to the canteen.

The word “Sanyuan” in the canteen’s name means 3 yuan in Chinese. It connotes the idea that charity doesn’t have to be associated with economic pressure, and even a donation as small as 3 yuan can guarantee a free meal for someone in need.

Xiao Yi, founder of Sanyuan Canteen, a public-benefit canteen in Shantou city, south China’s Guangdong Province, carries supplies donated by kind-hearted netizens to the canteen. (Photo courtesy of the interviewees)

The establishment of this canteen was motivated by Xiao’s volunteer experience during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in 2016, when he joined an activity organized by a public-interest organization, and brought rice and cooking oil to elderly residents.

During the charity activity, Xiao noticed that some elderly people with disabilities in their legs or eyes had difficulty cooking even if they received the rice and oil.

One old man in particular left a deep impression on Xiao.

As he couldn’t see, his relatives or friends would cook for him every two or three days.

"He would eat the same old meal for two or three days. Even if the food had gone bad, he couldn’t see it and still ate it,” Xiao recalled.

The experience gave Xiao an idea - instead of just delivering rice and oil to these elderly people, why not cook and deliver meals to them every day?

He immediately acted on the idea, starting by preparing boxed meals and delivering them to an area in Wuqiao subdistrict, Jinping district of Shantou, where many elderly people lived.

A few months later, Sanyuan Canteen was officially opened on July 24, 2016.

Despite his great efforts and financial investment in the canteen, Xiao doesn’t think he should get all the credit for its good reputation. Whenever someone refers to him as the founder of Sanyuan Canteen, he always explains that the canteen doesn’t belong to anyone.

"It is just something I started at the beginning, and later my friends knew about it and thought it was a good idea, so we all got involved together,” he said.

In an effort to better receive and manage donations, the canteen established a non-profit organization and submits a report on its financial situation, including the use of funds, to the relevant civil affairs department for an annual audit.

The canteen cherishes kindness and donations from everyone who has offered help. The names of the caring people have been carefully recorded on the walls of the canteen.

The names of the people who have provided volunteer services and made donations to Sanyuan Canteen, a public-benefit canteen in Shantou city, south China’s Guangdong Province, are written on the walls of the canteen. (Photo courtesy of the interviewees)

Since its inception, Sanyuan Canteen has witnessed numerous heart-warming stories. It has provided security for people experiencing hardships while bringing a sense of happiness to volunteers.

"It makes me happy. Even if there are troubles in life, when I step into this place and can actually help others, I feel healed,” said Li, who is filled with gratitude to the canteen.

Many people who have received free boxed meals from the canteen have also tried their best to pay back the care and love they have got from the place, according to Li.

An elderly woman in her 70s, who used to come to the canteen to get meals due to her difficult financial situation, later became a regular volunteer; a few elderly people who collect scrap materials occasionally buy a few boxes of eggs for the canteen; despite his mental disorder, a male student who regularly receives meals from the canteen often comes to help with physical tasks...These stories and many more just like them show the power of showing kindness.

The impact of the canteen has reached beyond just those who volunteer or receive meals.

After learning that Sanyuan Canteen’s food is provided for free to people in need, stall keepers at the nearby market not only offer discounted prices on vegetables, but help prepare them for free every day, according to Li.

Two female volunteers wave to camera in Sanyuan Canteen, a public-benefit canteen in Shantou city, south China’s Guangdong Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewees)

Owners of meat and seafood stalls also offer the lowest prices and deliver the goods to the canteen, she said, adding that sometimes the canteen even receives fish, shrimp, meat, and other items from kind-hearted individuals who wish to provide extra meals.

Stories behind the loving canteen and the kindness it has created are endless.

The canteen has created accounts on social media platforms to share its stories with internet users across the country.

However, Xiao said he doesn’t want to be an internet celebrity. “Being an internet celebrity is exhausting, while cooking food is not,” he explained.

Believing that a small stream flows far, Xiao prefers a steady and long-lasting approach regarding the operation of the canteen and the donations to it.

"We are very grateful to the kind-hearted netizens who donate 100 bags of rice, but it would be even better if it could be changed to one bag per month,” he said.

Xiao said he doesn't have a specific plan in mind for the future of the canteen, and he just wants to do a good job doing what he needs to do for it every day.

"As long as the food is good and people can eat well here, that's all that matters,” he said.