Community workers serve senior citizens at a canteen for elderly
people in Gulou District of Fuzhou, east China's Fujian Province, June 24,
2022. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
CHANGSHA, Dec. 25
(Xinhua) -- When the rush hour comes, Yuan Ke, a food deliveryman, turns off
the software designed to alert him about orders. Instead of grabbing paid
delivery work, he chooses to head for the community-based canteen for the
elderly. Once there, he picks up food and then delivers it for free to three
elderly people who are living alone.
Yuan, 22, has been voluntarily
delivering food to the elderly trio in Yunan Street Community, Tianxin
District, Changsha City, capital of central China's Hunan Province, over the
past three months. "I know they will be waiting for me to deliver food at
this time," Yuan said.
Three months ago, the
delivery station encouraged deliverymen to take food voluntarily to the
elderly, who are not able to go to the canteen. Yuan agreed straight away.
What he offers is not
just food, but more importantly, company. "I remember the first time I
delivered food for Grandpa Hu. He was just sitting there. I could feel a sense
of loneliness in him," Yuan said. "So I decided to chat with these
elderly people for a short while when I bring food for them."
"Everytime when
Yuan comes and tells me that my lunch is here, I will ask him to put it on the
table. This is the first thing that I say every day," 85-year-old Hu
Guangyao said.
"I didn't have
anyone to talk to, and felt irritable and lonely. Now, with Yuan chatting with
me every day, I feel much better," Hu said.
Yuan, born in a
village in Shaoyang City of Hunan Province, was raised by his grandmother. To
him, the three elders, among whom the eldest is 91-year-old Shen Lianying,
remind him of his own grandmother.
"Grandma Shen
would often give me some apples and remind me to ride slowly and take good care
of myself. This makes me feel so warm," Yuan said.
Recently, Yuan would
take a garbage bag with him and help clean up the garbage for the elders when
he delivered food for them.
In case the elders
need any help or are in any emergency, Yuan has also left his mobile phone
number for them.
"It's not so safe
for the elders to live alone. If they fell, no one would know. Now that I'm
delivering food for them, I can also help take care of them as much as I
can," Yuan said.
Source: Xinhua
