Sister Joan started the Rice Run project in the late 1990s, as a way to assist seniors with basic food items. Most of the recipients lived alone and we’re over 60 years old. That meant that they couldn’t work and usually went hungry until friends or neighbors offered some food.
In 2002, Sister reorganized the Rice Run to register recipients every year and provide consistent and regular help to needy seniors of Rong Moo and Suan Ooy communities of Klong Toei slum.
Covid interrupted the rhythm of annual registrations but we finally had a chance to do another registration day on Jul 8th – more than 2 years since the last one in early 2020.
Janna and Sophie came to help and as has been the case for several past registrations, Khun Jim was kind enough to let us use her living room to interview people who came to apply for help.
The process went very fast as everyone came prepared with copies of their IDs and the last electric bill they had. We ended up registering 65 seniors for the next year of support and turned down about 15 people because their electric bills showed they could afford to buy food or because they were younger than 60 and with no real handicap that would make it hard to find work.
At the end of the registration, we visited 2 people’s homes because it wasn’t clear if they could afford to buy food but we approved them both.
Life in Klong Toei is hard but it is getting better. Even in times of Covid, Thais are showing resilience and ingenuity. We see it in how they dress, how many more scooters and cars are parked in the slum, how many people ask or come to claim help in Milk and Rice Run programs. It is a very positive sight and makes it easier to deliver help to the ones that really need it.
