Sister Cecilia came to Bangkok to join us for both the shopping and distribution parts of this Rice Run.
After our shopping at Makro was complete, we stopped by the Sacred Heart Convent and had a great cup of coffee. The occasion was my 12 years of volunteering with Sister Joan Mission.
I dropped off the parked car in Rong Moo, as usual. Later in the afternoon, Shannon, Janna and others came to deliver the food to our registered seniors.
… another great Friday! 🙏🏻
As usual, Adri came to help distribute the milk formula and baby diapers in Klong Toei.
We gave out 20 packages of milk formula and 5 packs of baby diapers to Rong Moo community moms.
After a coffee break, I delivered another 9 packs of milk formula to Suan Ooy community. Here are more pics from that Milk Run
This was an unusual Rice Run as we had to use my truck while Sister Joan’s car was away for service. This meant that we had to adjust our schedules because my truck’s loading area can not be locked (we couldn’t leave the loaded truck unattended in Klong Toei for several hours).
So Sa and I went shopping to Makro and loaded the truck before buying pork in Klong Toei market.
I delivered it all to Rong Moo in the afternoon, just as Janna and Claire arrived. Shannon is back in Bangkok and she joined them a bit later.
This time we had 12 bags of rice left over so it means 53 people came to collect.
Here’s a pic of leftovers… We will do another annual Rice Run registration soon to keep delivering help only to the most needy seniors of Rong Moo and Susan Ooy communities.
Adri came to help again and we had a great Milk Run. The weather in Bangkok is staying cool for over 30 days now – a first for most of us that haven’t lived here too long. It is just spectacular 20-28 degrees with no rain, sunny skies every day.
Traffic, of course, remains the same. Heavy…
We gave out 19 boxes of milk formula and 5 large packs of baby diapers in Rong Moo community. We also registered a brand new set of twin boys. They are tiny but otherwise healthy.
Babies are growing very well and, as always, rarely any of them cries.
In Suan Ooy we gave out just 2 packets of milk to the only moms that are currently registered there. We usually deliver another 7 packets of fortified milk formula to the local seniors but this Friday no one came to claim them.
Only two moms, one of them on a motorcycle with a baby seat on it. Fearless, as many others are… Here are more pics from this Milk Run
This Rice Run was a first in at least 11 years – we were seriously understaffed! Many of our volunteers were out of Bangkok for the School Winter Break and many have moved away from Thailand over the course of Covid pandemic. In all, I went alone to shop for Rice and Milk Run supplies.
Loading it all into Sister’s truck is a multi step process of placing rice bags at the opening, before climbing in and moving each bag to the back of the space….
In the afternoon, Janna and Irza came to distribute the rice, fish sauce, cooking oil and dried pork to our registered Thai seniors. Unfortunately, they made no pictures – they were too busy working!
Irza came to help on this beautiful morning, a third week now of amazing, cool weather, clear skies, no rain.
As I arrived, monks were doing their alms, Rong Moo community was just waking up….
As for every Milk Run Friday, I found Sister Joan’s 19 year old truck parked at it’s usual place, took it to Boss Mansion, loaded the milk formula…
… and brought it back to the slum to deliver the milk formula.
Irza joined shortly and we had a productive morning giving out 18 boxes of milk formula, 5 packets of baby diapers and we added another little one. His name is New Year and yes – he was born on 1/1/2023 – the Cristian New Year.
Rong Moo stands for Pig Store – a slaughter house and today I passed by the rubble of the last remaining slaughter house in the neighborhood. Change is unstoppable…
After our usual break, Irza and I drove to Suan Ooy community. There we delivered another pack of diapers and 9 more packets of milk formula. And to finish this beautiful morning in Klong Toei slum, I took Sister’s truck for it’s regular wash…
Here are more pics…
And here we are – the last event of another busy year. As usual (except briefly for the Summer of 2021), we didn’t skip a week, delivering food every 2nd Friday to senior citizens of Klong Toei and milk formula on other Fridays to new born babies. As you probably know by now, all of our recipients are registered to make sure people who receive help are the people who really need it.
We delivered more than 1600 food packages this year to 65 seniors from Rong Moo and Suan Ooy communities of Klong Toei slum. These are people who can not work (either over 60 years old or handicapped) and many live alone with minimal assistance. Sister Joan started supporting this part of Klong Toei population in the mid 90s and then set up the Rice Run as a ongoing project for registered recipients in 2002.
Over the years, each person”s help package includes 5kg of white rice, a bottle of cooking oil, bottle of fish sauce and a measure of protein – either canned sardines or a bag of dried pork. This Friday we added a bar of soap – the usual end-of-the-year item.
Willy, Sa and Adri joined me for the shopping part of the day. We visited Makro and Klong Toei market, prepared the car for the distribution and left it parked and loaded in Rong Moo.
In the afternoon, Sophie, Claire, Willie, Adri and Irza met in Rong Moo and delivered help to 63 of our registered recipients.
Happy New Year and thank you for any and all support for Sister Joan Mission Project.
Adri, Willy and I came out for this Christmas week Milk Run. We registered 1 new baby in Rong Moo and gave out 21 packs of milk formula there, asking with 5 bags of baby diapers.
In Suan Ooy, we are down to just 2 registered babies now. For some reason, the new ones are not coming and as the registered ones are turning 1 year old, they are not qualified for receiving help any more. Still, we delivered our annual supply of soy milk to the Suan Ooy Daycare center and delivered the 7 packs of fortified milk formula to local registered seniors, as we do every 2 weeks.
Presentation Sisters of Western Australia treated us all with a delicious dinner at Cuppa, Soi 16.
There were great meats, veggies, cake and wine and talk of Sister Joan, her Mission and our current work. Sister Cecilia brought everyone a box of delicious Christmas cookies too.
Another year is ending and it was a great one, truly a year to remember: the 30th year of Milk Run, the 20th year of Rice Run. Here is too many more to come!…
Another year is coming to an end and we celebrated this December by giving extra food to our registered seniors. In addition to the standard large bag of rice, bottles of fish sauce and cooking oil and dried pork, each person received 5 cans of sardines and a packet of instant coffee. 64 out of 65 came to collect this fortnight.
