China Overseas Chinese Network, May 7 (Xinhua) According to a report by the American Overseas Chinese News Network, Chen Qingwen, the owner of "Food Shop 46" in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York, and the second generation of Chinese Americans, managers Mo Zhilian, who grew up in Chinatown, and volunteers 7 days a week We will deliver free lunch boxes in front of the shop without any rain or wind, and provide a hot meal and a cup of hot soup for the elderly and other community residents in need.
Near noon on May 6, local time, Chen Qingwen and two volunteers packed lunch boxes in the store. They were very busy. A hot bone soup with watercress was packed in the lunch box and packed into plastic. The paper bag with paper towels and fork is a free lunch box, and comes with a cup of Prunella tea. While colleagues are busy preparing meals, Mo Zhilian sits in the store and takes care of the guests in the store, so that the colleagues have no worries. The Japanese-style ham was given by a customer who lived on Long Island to add food to the people who received free lunch boxes.
Chen Qingwen said that since the outbreak of the New Coronary Pneumonia epidemic, Chinatown has suffered tremendously, with no pedestrians on the bustling streets of the past. From March 20th, "Gourmet Shop No. 46" started to launch a low-cost lunch for $ 3 and provided door-to-door service. Later, with the help of all parties and through sponsors, it was able to be distributed from April 20th. Free lunch box.
The number of lunch boxes distributed from more than 100 boxes to 150 boxes at the beginning, and now to more than 200 boxes. Chen Qingwen bought, cooked, and purchased lunch boxes by himself. He was not a chef. He was affectionately known as the "box lunch king ". He laughed, in addition to the free delivery in front of the store, and to deliver meals to hospitals and elderly centers as needed, the highest record was that he made and delivered 625 meals within a day, even for his own "kitchen" "Art" was surprised.
Since March, there has been no one-day break and at least 16 hours of work per day. Chen Qingwen and Mo Zhilian took turns to take the top shift in exchange for a few temporary breaks in the middle. Chen Qingwen said that after purchasing good ingredients the day before, he started to cook in the kitchen at 10 am the next day, and waited for the completion of the freshly baked meals with volunteers. He was at the store door at 12:30 every day. Free lunch boxes are distributed before. Since mid-March, the dishes of lunch boxes are different every day, and they are guaranteed to be still hot when delivered to the recipient.
Chen Qingwen said that the cost of a free lunch box plus lunch boxes, forks, cups, bags, etc., a box of lunch costs about 1 to 2 dollars. In order to continue the delivery, he had to drive to the Bronx manufacturer to purchase the tin foil lunch box. His four-door sedan often had to be transported twice before it was finished. He said that the business in the store has suffered as much as other small businesses, and the monthly rent expenditure alone reached 15,000 US dollars. At present, the business is barely maintaining a balance of payments.
In 21 years of going to the United States, from working as a wage earner in Chinatown to opening a store on Be Street three and a half years ago, Chinatown is an uneasy concern for Chen Qingwen, who lives in Brooklyn. Mo Zhiwen was born and raised in Chinatown. As a standard second-generation Chinese, Hakka dialect and Cantonese dialect are not to mention. They are affectionately referred to by customers as uncles and aunts.
Mo Zhiwen said that although the business was difficult during the epidemic, he hoped to help the community overcome the difficulties. In addition to the free lunch box, there is also a coffee machine in the store, whether it is the police, medical staff, or ordinary people, you can enter the store to drink free coffee.
"One customer sent me a letter saying thank you, and also took $ 100. Another customer came to the store and bought $ 5.50 for meals, but gave us $ 2,000." Chen Qingwen said, whether it is Chinese or non-Chinese customers, Many customers who came to the store to buy meals paid 10 US dollars, 20 US dollars or more even though they only bought a few bucks. The sentence "You worked hard" "I want to help you continue to operate" became The motivation for Chen Qingwen and Mo Zhilian to continue.