"It's time to eat and it's free!" a girl shouted to everyone loudly to encourage people to come and eat. She then handed out chopsticks. This scene took place outside of Mianyang Orthopedics Hospital on May 14 at 8:30 PM. The young woman proceeded to carry in out a big bowl of preserved Sichuan pickles, another large bowl of fried carrots and two buckets of preserved egg congee, Xinhuanet.com reported from Sichuan Mianyang on May 15.

Other volunteers helped to serve the dishes and porridge. Medical staff and relatives of the injured filled their bowls with free food.

Shen Cuihua, a woman looking after her husband in the hospital, said: "We haven't eaten for the last few days. Although instant noodles are supplied, I can't eat them because I have a stomach illness. But now we can get food not only in hospital's dining hall but also from these warm-hearted people."

When asked how many bowls of congee she had, Shen replied that she had asked for only one since many other victims needed warm food as well.

Another woman said thankfully: "I really appreciate those compassionate people. No one has had any warm food until now".

Three hundred-thirty patients are housed currently in the Mianyang Orthopedics Hospital but there are only 152 beds. Most of the medical personnel have no regular dining schedule because they are all swamped with work.

Volunteers came from a private restaurant called Heji in Mianyang city. They organized themselves because all of the restaurant staff wanted to help. The restaurant owner said that he felt it was his personal duty to assist in this way.

Heji's owner He Shiyin said that his was not the only restaurant to donate food. Many other restaurants in the city have also contributed meals to other hospitals and clinics.

"We heard that dining was a problem for patients bedded down in the Mianyang Jiuzhou gym. Because most stores were closed, foodstuffs were in short supply. Consequently, some other restaurateurs and I decided to deliver meals to places patients were gathered from May 14 on," He Shiyin explained.

The Heji restaurant was started up by three siblings surnamed He. According to He Shiyin's sister, after earthquake their restaurant's power, water and gas supplies were all cut off. So they gathered rice and dishes from all the other involved restaurants to cook together. They found a kitchen in a restaurant that was usable.

The three siblings donated all of their food and mineral waters, leaving only one bottle of water for themselves.

When asked about the cost of these meals, He Shiyin smiled and replied: "We're not worried about cost, we're just trying to do our best".

"Ten members of our staff came as soon as they got my call, and they are all willing to help people who have suffered as a consequence of the earthquake," He Shiyin said.

He added that they would still deliver meals if needed after their restaurant reopened. "We will do all what we can do to help relieve the dining problem for hospital patients."

(China.org.cn by Wu Huanshu, May 15, 2008)