The quietly emerging community canteens provide clean, cheap and delicious meals to the elderly and disabled people in the community, effectively improving the residents' sense of happiness and gain.
At the same time, since the prices of meals in community canteens are relatively cheap, how to go further under low-profit operations is testing the wisdom of all parties.
Huangshi City, Hubei Province, on the premise of adhering to public welfare, provides targeted subsidy support, guides enterprises to provide diversified services, and continuously enhances the vitality of community canteens by introducing market-oriented mechanisms.
Happy and delicious food enters the community
"I want roast pork with dried cowpeas, kung pao chicken, stir-fried eggplant, and cabbage." Near noon, 82-year-old Li Guangming went straight to the Xingfu Canteen in Wangjia Community, Huangshi City, where he lined up, ordered, and packaged in one go.
"The couple can eat four dishes for only 8 yuan, which is convenient and worry-free," Li Guangming said.
There are more than 2,000 elderly people over the age of 60 in Wangjia Community. Some of them have difficulty eating because of their age and disability.
“One person cooks too much and can’t finish it. There are too few dishes and he is afraid of not being nutritious enough.” “It’s very convenient to go to a restaurant to eat, but you can’t go to restaurants every day.” “In the past, workplace cafeterias were good. The food was delicious and not expensive. If the community could run one, A canteen would be nice." Yu Linjie, secretary of the community party committee, said that every time he visits, he can always hear this sentiment from residents.
In Huangshi, there are many communities like Wangjia Community with a large number of elderly people.
To this end, Huangshi City will promote the construction of the Happy Canteen project as a practical matter for people's livelihood.
Taking the Happy Canteen of Wangjia Community as an example, through the coordination of the municipal party committee and the municipal government, relevant departments vacated an idle state-owned asset within the jurisdiction of Wangjia Community, renovated it in accordance with canteen construction standards, and handed it over to the winning bidder for use.
The urban and municipal levels will provide construction subsidies based on 50% of the construction expenditure of each Happy Canteen, and will also provide a one-time operating subsidy of 50,000 yuan upon opening.
"After we moved in, we were only responsible for personnel, equipment and some soft furnishings, which effectively reduced the opening cost." Jiang Tingting, the person in charge of Hubei Anhui Zhihu Health Management Co., Ltd., the Wangjia Community Happy Canteen operating company, said, "The total price of three meals a day It’s less than 20 yuan, and within a month of opening, nearly 800 elderly people came to apply for meal cards.”
Wang Hongfeng, deputy director of the Huangshi Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, said that at present, most of the happy canteens in Huangshi City are provided with operating sites free of charge by the government and are constructed first. After completion, they are handed over to enterprises or social organizations for operation. The use of water, electricity and heat is based on residents’ living categories. Price execution will maximize profits to operating entities and community residents.
Value-added services add vitality
The building where the Happy Canteen in Shuiji Road Community, Xisaishan District, Huangshi City is located, covers an area of 500 square meters per floor and contains multiple service sections such as massage, bathing, and leisure.
It is more like a "supermarket" for elderly care services than a canteen.
"Eating well is only part of the needs of the elderly." said Tian Shukun, the person in charge of Huangshi Lexiang Smart Elderly Care Service Co., Ltd., an operating company of Shuiji Road Community Happy Canteen, "In addition to material needs, we also work hard on spiritual needs to provide Seniors experience all-around happiness.”
From cooking to service, from small canteen to large senior care.
Tian Shukun's "business experience" is the epitome of the development of Huangshi's Happy Canteen industry.
Since 2016, Huangshi City has begun to explore the construction of happy canteens. However, whether it is building public canteens in communities or introducing private enterprises to open canteens, in order to save costs, they can only maintain a relatively single menu. As a result, residents are not happy, resulting in a lot of food shortages. Waste, operations more often than not make ends meet.
In response to this problem, Huangshi City has guided relevant enterprises and units to carry out diversified operations in accordance with the idea of "public welfare + marketization".
"The ingredients should be fresh, the dishes should be top-notch, and word-of-mouth should be used to increase traffic." Tian Shukun said that the company adheres to the public welfare nature of the canteen and uses the dishes to win the word-of-mouth and trust of the elderly, thereby winning more development opportunities.
Today, the company has 29 Happy Canteens and nearly 50,000 elderly members. In addition to basic leisure and entertainment services, it has also expanded its shopping, health care, tourism and other businesses.
Market-oriented operation ensures the sustainability of public welfare undertakings.
"Public welfare provides traffic to the market, and the market provides guarantee for public welfare." Wang Hongfeng said that on the platform of Xingfu Canteen, the elderly care industry and the silver economy are organically combined, and efforts are made to meet the needs of different elderly groups, which has been welcomed by enterprises and the masses. .
Diversity works together to seek "happiness"
After Xingfu Canteen became popular, it received widespread attention across the city.
Huangshi Civil Affairs Bureau took advantage of the trend to promote Happy Canteens to 6 counties, cities, and districts in the city, and built or renovated and upgraded 50 senior canteens and meal support stations in urban communities and rural areas, benefiting nearly 20,000 seniors.
In addition to directly donating to build canteens, many local companies have also expressed their intention to donate to relevant departments, hoping to contribute their "filial piety" to the elderly. Therefore, Huangshi City established the "Huangshi Charity·Happy Canteen Special Fund".
"We encourage and guide caring companies and caring individuals to participate in meal assistance services for the elderly." The relevant person in charge of the Huangshi Charity Federation said that the special fund will be used to reward companies with high operating quality and good public evaluation.
The Huangshi Civil Affairs Bureau has also researched and issued institutional documents such as the "Huangshi City "Happiness Canteen" Identification, Management Measures, and Management System Notice", established a Happy Canteen assessment system, regularly evaluated the price and quality of meal assistance services for the elderly, and entrusted a third party to From time to time, the organization issues satisfaction questionnaires to the elderly dining in "Happiness Canteen", and provides financial rewards and subsidies to "Happiness Canteen" with significant operating results.
"With financial incentives, operating companies are more willing and able to strengthen the public welfare of canteens." Wang Hongfeng said that Huangshi's Happy Canteen already has the characteristics of a grassroots social service platform.
The Baimashan Community Happy Canteen provides free haircuts, traditional Chinese medicine consultations, health moxibustion and other services to residents through community invitation service units during the Double Ninth Festival and other festivals; the Shuiji Road Community Happy Canteen has become an activity venue for community residents, organizing monthly meetings for residents Various activities are carried out, and the popularity becomes more and more popular; Gangxi Village in Dawang Town has created a "Party Building + Happy Canteen" model to attract party members to the canteen. 39 volunteers in the village provide services to all parties by washing vegetables, setting tables, washing dishes, etc. There are nearly 300 elderly people in the village.
"Having received concern from all walks of life, our company must also give back to the society." Tian Shukun said, "Now our Xingfu Canteen also welcomes sanitation workers, takeaway guys and other groups to dine, and still enjoy the price for seniors, so that more people can eat here 'Happiness." (Participating in the interview and writing: Pan Jingru)
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