It was a chilly Monday night as the homeless gathered in front of City Hall. Some languidly drifted around while others tucked themselves away in secluded corners of nearby concrete buildings to escape the wind.
The ‘rot moo daeng’ soup kitchen is stationed in front of City Hall on Monday nights to feed people down on their luck. Photos by Pornprom Satrabhaya
Before long the rot moo daeng pulls up. The red pig truck, as it is known to the regulars of the plaza in front of City Hall, has been modified so the front of the vehicle looks like a giant pig’s head.
At about 8pm every night when it arrives, dark shapes emerge from the shadows and give it a warm welcome. Dinner has arrived.
The unique truck is a mobile soup kitchen run by the Mirror Foundation under the Food for Friends project.
Project manager Sittiphol Chuprajong said the kitchen is sponsored by an anonymous Samaritan who believes in the foundation’s principle of giving street people the chance of a better life. Last May, this person donated two million baht to the foundation to go ahead with the programme.
The kitchen not only provides free meals, but also a platform for the foundation to learn about the needs of people living on the streets.
“We want to return a sense of dignity to people who are down on their luck,” the charity worker and human rights activist said.
As the street people patiently wait in line for a free dinner, many rejoice in their good fortune. Volunteers at the back of the truck hand out meals, clearly happy to be doing something to help.
The Mirror Foundation is a non-profit organisation committed to making a difference to the lives of elderly people who are alone, child beggars and the homeless. Its mission also includes promoting education and human rights as well as making social contributions through a wide range of activities.
Moo Daeng project manager Sittiphol Chuprajong.
Mr Sitthipol said the volunteers cook the meals and prepare kits that include basic necessities and medicines at the foundation’s office on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Between 200 and 300 meals and kits are carried by the moo daeng vehicle to give to street people at Lan Khon Muang on Mondays between 8pm and 10pm.
The soup kitchen also serves as a bridge between street people and the volunteers trying to establish a bond with them.
It is thought that in the long run it could help to solve some of the problems the homeless have, Mr Sitthipol said.
He said the homeless keep their distance from strangers as they fear being taken off the streets and put in a shelter. It took a few months for the homeless to trust the foundation workers and queue up to receive a free meal from the mobile kitchen.
Most homeless are stereotyped as alcoholics, drug addicts or criminals by society, but Mr Sitthipol says the factors that often cause them to end up on the streets are unemployment, poor education, the high cost of living or mental illness.
Mr Sitthipol says many of those who accept the free food on Mondays want their lives to be different. “They often ask me to find a job for them. They want a better future.”
It's not just the homeless the kitchen serves, it also helps out all of the needy.
Pikul Sae Leow, a 43-year-old garland seller, has to feed three children. But the high cost of jasmine — the main material for making garlands — has forced her to stop.
“Moo daeng becomes a life saver when the chips are down,” she said while feeding fried chicken with rice to her three-year-old daughter.
In the future, the foundation plans to provide free meals in the Hua Lamphong, Mor Chit and Rangsit areas where the homeless often gather.
The project manager is well aware that a soup kitchen is not the answer to the homeless problem. He said the foundation is looking at ways to help them gain access to social rights, including state health care.
“We are learning about their problems so we can find ways to tackle them,” he said.
Mr Sitthiphol said he disagrees with the idea of moving the homeless from public spaces to shelters since they have different cultural and family backgrounds.
“People can survive in a wide range of conditions. We should respect their decisions and empower them,” he said.
Ae, who claims he has slept on the city’s streets for more than 30 years, said he used to stay at a shelter where a bed and food were provided by the state but it was not for him.
The routine life at the shelter, meeting the same people and staying in the same place every day, made him feel uncomfortable. He eventually decided to roam the streets even though he had no idea what his fate would be.
Raised by a foster family, Ae has never had any proof of identity and is regarded as an undocumented citizen. The foundation recently helped Ae get a job to help him to survive.
Krittiya Kumphilo, 28, a volunteer at the soup kitchen, said helping people in need was fulfilling for her. It is also a reminder of how thankful she should be for what she already has.
She said whenever she hands out food, people thank her, while some wai.
“Their faces are painted with smiles. They look happy, I’m happy too,” she said.
A man who asked to be named only as Uan said the previous night was too cold to sleep even though he had a blanket. One of about 3,000 people who sleep rough in the city at night, he has taken over a tiny space in front of a shop on Din So Road.
“The meal helps to keep me warm and snug,” he said as he tucks into a dish of fried rice.
A homeless man tucks into a free meal outside City Hall.