Buu Son Pagoda, Kien Giang, March 9, 2024: Rice, Wheelchairs and Gifts for Remote Families

On March 9, 2024, the Compassionate Hands Foundation gave 200 gift packages at Buu Son Pagoda in Kien Giang, including rice books, wheelchairs, gifts for students and emergency aid.

On March 9, 2024, the Compassionate Hands Foundation (Hội Từ Thiện Bàn Tay Nhân Ái) held a gift distribution at Buu Son Pagoda in Tan Hiep commune, Tan Hiep district, Kien Giang province. The video retells that day, starting with the long drive from Ca Mau: about 152 km west to Kien Giang, which the team described as the last place it could distribute gifts in the Mekong Delta.

A small boat and villagers already waiting

The whole group squeezed onto a small boat to cross to the far bank and reach the pagoda. On arrival, the villagers were already gathered, looking at the team with joyful eyes. The team got straight to sorting gifts, each person taking a task, not wanting anyone to wait long. Mr. Tâm carried the heavy boxes.

Prayer beads and a monk's message

Before the handout, a monk on the team chanted the Buddha's name with the crowd and spoke about their circumstances, which he saw as much harder than where the team lives in California. Each package included a small prayer-bead bracelet. He asked the elders to spend five to ten minutes each night reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha or the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, moving one bead per recitation. He hoped they would turn their lives toward what is good, and said the team did not expect anyone to become a Buddhist.

A team member greeted the villagers and said the group had brought 200 gift packages from donors far away:

Chắc chắn rằng sẽ không đủ cho tất cả quý vị nghèo khổ khó khăn ở những vùng sâu xa hẻo lánh như thế này.
A team member, speaking to the villagers

(It will certainly not be enough for all of you who are poor and struggling in remote areas like this.)

What was handed out

At Buu Son, the Foundation gave:

40 monthly rice books (regular rice allotments)
support for 20 students
16 wheelchairs
124 emergency gift packages

That made 200 packages. Rice, noodles and daily necessities reached poor families, people with disabilities, and elderly people living alone and in poor health. Students received school bags and tablets of paper. There were also blankets, conical hats and tịnh tài (cash offerings) from members.

Homes of love and a short talk

The video also mentions the Foundation's U.S.-based program to build "houses of love" for poor families living in leaking shelters. One example is Mr. Tuấn in Soc Trang, his family's main earner, who fell seriously ill and was bedridden for several years while his wife cared for two children. The Foundation rallied donors to pay for his treatment and build him a house. The house is finished and, as the narration says, he recovered after surgery.

Near the end, the team spoke with an elder who had just received a gift. The elder said they were too old now for volunteer work at the temple and stayed home reciting the Buddha's name every night before sleep. The team led the elders to a shady spot to wait for their families, reminding them to keep reciting and to look after their health.

The next stretch

The Foundation said goodbye to the Mekong Delta to continue its charity trip to central Vietnam in 2024. It hopes members will keep joining hands so the journey of giving and receiving can go on.