Recently the social service department of CCC & TSPM launched a program that provides free meals to seniors in church nursing homes.
The "Granny Zhou" Love Kitchen Program focuses on the very elderly, disabled seniors, sick and lonely elderly people, and financially disadvantaged seniors regularly visited by the church.
According to the statistics, elderly people above 80 have exceeded 23 million in China and approximately 100 million seniors suffer from one or many chronic diseases. More than 15 million seniors need long-term care. It is estimated that China will have over 400 million elderly people by the year 2050, including 50 million seniors with dementia.
It is said that the program has been firstly carried out in a nursing home affiliated to Yichang CCC & TSPM of Hubei. Located at No. 37, Xibeijia Street, Xiling District, Qingxi Senior Citizens' Home was founded in 2010.
"A special lunch is tailored to 15 aged, disabled seniors and older people with dementia of the home. Although those believers who contribute to the meal fee might never know these seniors, they show their good care to them in this special way," says the social service department.
It also mentions "Granny Zhou": "She is 93 now. When she moved into the home, she was in bad physical condition with serious skin ulceration. She becomes better while still paralyzed in bed under the good care of the home's nurse. Having no pension, she lived on a skimpy comfort fund, but she always has strong faith by relying on God."
The department learns that there are similar cases in many nursing homes. The program hopes to bring more Christians into the kitchen to act as "voluntary chefs" that add the taste of happiness to their later life.
Translated by Karen Luo
