Yellow River Soup Kitchen, also known as Yellow River Charity, is a nonprofit organization based in Xi’an, China. It was founded by Tony Day in December 2005 after a homeless woman in Xi’an asked him for financial help. The woman inspired him to establish support for the city’s homeless community. With growing support from global donors, Yellow River Soup Kitchen had mobilized 13,700 volunteers by 2021 to complete 2,580 charity projects. Here is how the organization’s major initiatives have profoundly improved the lives of vulnerable people in Xi’an and nearby provinces.

The Founding of Yellow River Soup Kitchen

The woman remained on Day’s mind as he meditated for two hours that night. “I suddenly had a sense this was a much greater problem and being unable to find any (with very few) voluntary projects available in China. I had decided the night before that if I learned nothing from the old lady, I would start buying food,” he said to the Lancashire Evening Post. The following day, Day returned to St. Francis Cathedral on Wuxing Street, where he had met the woman. He asked Father Chen if he could distribute food to the homeless at the church.

That Sunday, he served 25 meals of baozi and soup. By 2015, a budget of more than $2,000 allowed him to provide food for 5,000 people. As of 2019, Yellow River Soup Kitchen has served around 200,000 meals, averaging 1,800 meals per month. The organization serves food every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night, even on Lunar New Year and Christmas, with additional volunteers delivering food to those who cannot attend.

The English Summer School Initiative

In the summer of 2006, Yellow River Soup Kitchen organized a group of foreign teachers to teach English in Li Quan, an impoverished mountain village two hours from Xi’an. There were three classrooms with a maximum capacity of 20 students. The organization utilized three teachers, each taught six hours per day. The programs lasted six weeks and accommodated 180 students.

Annual Christmas Party

The anniversary of Yellow River Soup Kitchen coincides with Christmas and to celebrate, the organization hosts an annual Christmas Party for people without homes at St. Francis Cathedral. A volunteer dresses up as Santa, distributing meat, dumplings, fruits and cakes. The celebration includes live music, dancing, karaoke and festive decorations. “At 9:30 p.m., when the party ended, all the homeless were back on the freezing streets of Xi’an with nothing but full bellies and warm memories,” Day says. In preparation for Christmas and New Year, the organization also gathers 45 people for showers and haircuts.

Looking Ahead

In 2020, Yellow River Soup Kitchen faced significant challenges due to COVID-19, as St. Francis Cathedral and many other venues where the organization hosted events were closed. However, despite these setbacks, the organization adapted by providing 14,047 face masks to people experiencing homelessness. The nonprofit organization continues to be vital, offering support to the vulnerable and providing a platform for people to participate in helping others.

– Jimmy Nguyen

Jimmy is based in Savannah, GA, USA and focuses on Good News, Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr