Members of Tan Sa Chau Church in HCMC's Tan Binh District have installed plastic tubes to provide free meals to the poor as Covid-19 rages. 

Tan Sa Chau church in HCMC has provided free rice, bread and potatoes to the poor over the past week. 

Church members installed two-meter-long plastic tubes to provide food items while maintaining a safe distance.

"Free boxes of rice is poured into the tubes for the poor to collect. It ensures social distancing and prevents large crowds. Once done, we remove the tubes until about dusk," a church representative said Saturday.

Around 1,000 meals are given out by the church each day.

At 10 a.m., around 300 lunches are supplied at the front gate of the church on Le Van Si Street. Recipients are mostly lottery ticket vendors, scrap collectors, the homeless and industrial park workers.

Each person may only take one meal and must quickly move on so the next could collect their portion.

"Such a charitable act is convenient amid the pandemic, as it ensures social distancing, prevents large crowds and allows people to eat," said Long while dropping lunches into the tubes.

Thanh, a lottery ticket vendor, was passing by the church when he learned of the free food scheme, so he dropped by to enjoy a bite.

"The pandemic has caused poor sales and I have little to eat. So when I get to receive these meals from philanthropists, I'm very happy," he said.

Nguyen Vu Cong Thanh, 13, and his brother collect their free meals. Both their parents work at a textile company and earn little. Since the pandemic broke in the southern metropolis, the brothers have been going out to look for charity meals on a frequent basis.

Each meal includes rice, proteins, broth, fish sauce and a bottle of water. The food changes every day and is provided through several church supporters.

The 300 meals ran out after about an hour. Throughout the process, church members continuously disinfected the area to prevent possible infection.

People line up in front of the church to collect their free meals. Tan Sa Chau Church, established in 1954, has around 5,000 members.