Compiled by Tzu Chi Monthly editorial staff
Abridged and translated by Wu Hsiao-ting
Tzu Chi’s care throughout the four seasons, from monthly home visits to year-end banquets, warms hearts and nurtures lasting connections.
Tzu Chi care recipients and volunteers gather around tables laden with dishes as the Tainan branch in southern Taiwan hosts a 42-table year-end banquet on February 1. Li Qi-hua
On February 1, in the heart of winter, Mr. Lu arrived at the Sanchong Jing Si Hall in New Taipei City on his mobility scooter. Crowds had gathered there for Tzu Chi’s winter distribution and year-end banquet, held as the lunar year drew to a close. Volunteer Lin Yi-ling (林怡伶) helped him into a wheelchair and guided him into the bustling venue.
Mr. Lu beamed as he relished the savory radish cakes prepared by volunteers, taking in the lively scene around him. “It’s been so long since I’ve been around so many people!” he exclaimed. To him, this was more than a feast—it felt like a family gathering.
Mr. Lu is a polio survivor. In 2021, after both of his parents passed away, he took in his sister, who was living with dementia. Despite a limited income from his job as a parking lot cashier, he assumed full responsibility for her care. He believed that it was his duty as her brother to look after her when no one else could. Eventually, with the assistance of a Tzu Chi long-term care case manager, his sister was admitted to a professional care facility, easing the heavy burden he had been carrying.
Hardship struck again in June 2023 when Mr. Lu suffered a stroke. The function of his legs deteriorated, bringing his life to an abrupt standstill. Volunteers Zhang Yu-huan (張玉環) and Huang Cai-feng (黃彩鳳) immediately reached out. Because he was physically frail and at risk of falling when going to the bathroom, they brought him a commode chair and easy-to-wear clothing to make daily life safer and more manageable. Noticing how difficult it was for him even to get a drink of water, they placed bottled water by his bedside and purchased a water dispenser for him. They also provided emergency financial aid to help him through the long months of rehabilitation.
As his siblings passed away one after another, his world gradually grew smaller. Loneliness soon followed. Though he had hoped to return to work, his efforts were met with disappointment. Through it all, the companionship of volunteers never wavered. Despite relying on low-income subsidies, he saved spare change in a coin bank and donated it to Tzu Chi in gratitude.
At the banquet, he was surrounded by steaming food and familiar greetings. Volunteers were delighted to see him shift from being quiet and withdrawn to cheerful and engaged.
This gathering was just one part of Tzu Chi’s annual winter outreach for care recipient families across Taiwan. This year’s outreach began on January 17 in Taitung and included 56 events, concluding on February 10 at the Jing Si Abode in Hualien. Volunteers also delivered gifts directly to the homes of recipients unable to attend, from elderly individuals living alone in the north to residents of remote mountain villages in Kaohsiung, as well as households in Kinmen, an offshore island county. In total, nearly 27,000 households, both banquet attendees and at-home recipients, received Tzu Chi’s year-end blessings.
Each family attending a banquet carried a different story, but for this brief moment, they could set their burdens down and find peace in the warmth of community.
A hairstylist trims a care recipient’s hair during the winter distribution and year-end banquet at Tzu Chi’s Songlong Road office in Taipei on January 31. Chi Liang-zhen
Bringing the community together
Among the items distributed at the events and delivered to homes were gift cards, marking the eighth year of Tzu Chi’s collaboration with a major supermarket chain. These cards allowed care recipients to purchase Lunar New Year supplies at nearby stores according to their needs. In remote villages without a branch of the chain, or for recipients unable to go out, cash was provided instead. Other gifts included multigrain biscuits, instant rice, and pumpkin soy milk powder.
Huang Li-yun (黃麗雲), a volunteer from Yuli in Hualien, pointed out that Tzu Chi added some new households to those receiving regular assistance from the foundation after the devastating barrier lake overflow in Guangfu Township last September. These households were among the guests invited to the banquet held in Yuli. At the event, Mr. Shen, who has lived in Guangfu Township for nearly 80 years, expressed his gratitude: “After the disaster, Tzu Chi volunteers and other helpers from across Taiwan came to clear mud and cook for us. They made us feel that we weren’t alone—and that the world is truly full of love.”
Tainan had also faced severe challenges over the past year, including the Tainan–Chiayi earthquake and Typhoon Danas. Ms. Chen, whose home was damaged in the quake, attended the banquet on February 1 at Tzu Chi’s Jiali office in Tainan. Because of the warmth and care Tzu Chi volunteers demonstrated while they helped restore her home, she and her husband have stepped up to serve as volunteers themselves.
These gatherings offered far more than a warm meal and physical gifts. Booths providing free haircuts, health consultations, and New Year’s couplets added to the festive, communal atmosphere at the events.
At the Xindian Jing Si Hall, medical professionals from nearby Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital set up a station offering consultations in internal medicine, surgery, traditional Chinese medicine, and nutrition. Vice Superintendent Hsu Jung-yuan (徐榮源) noted that regular outpatient visits are often limited by time, making it difficult for doctors to fully understand a patient’s background. The free consultations, however, allowed medical staff to provide more comprehensive care to vulnerable individuals. They were able to address not only physical concerns but also psychological and family-related issues, reflecting the true warmth of medical care.
Dr. Chen Jia-hui (陳家輝), a surgeon participating in such consultations for the first time, was moved by the progress he saw in care recipients who, encouraged by long-term volunteer companionship, had regained the ability to stand and walk. He also praised the integration of the consultations with Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital’s fast-track referral system, which helped disadvantaged individuals connect quickly with the right specialists and shortened the time needed to access care.
The free haircut area at Tzu Chi’s Shuanghe office, in New Taipei City, bustled with activity from early in the day. Although the days leading up to Lunar New Year are the busiest of the year for the beauty industry, bridal stylist Lin Cui-li (林翠莉) wouldn’t have been anywhere else. Having grown up in a financially strained family, she felt a deep empathy for those in her chair. Whether handling difficult hair or facing a shy elder, she was patient and attentive. She would gently check, “Is this length okay?” or suggest, “I can trim it this way to make it easier for you to manage. What do you think?”
Nearby, stylist You Pei-jin (游佩覲) tended to a visually impaired woman. Though she could not see her reflection in the mirror, the woman ran her hands over the layers of her newly cut hair, a look of contentment on her face. “I really enjoyed getting my haircut here today,” she said. “Feeling cared for is the warmest feeling.”
Chao You-chen (趙有誠, first from left), superintendent of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, leads members of the hospital’s medical team in serving dishes at the banquet at the Xindian Jing Si Hall on January 31. Wan Wen-yu
A feast beyond five stars
The highlight everyone looked forward to was the feast. At the Tzu Chi Banqiao Campus in New Taipei City, 71 tables had been set. The cooking team spent nearly three days in a whirlwind of preparation. Volunteer Ding Yue-e (丁月娥) introduced two of the most challenging and intricate dishes: One featured handmade konjac jelly, garnished with finely shredded radish arranged like blooming flowers; the other, called “Five Blessings Arrive,” was a delicate roll combining a variety of ingredients—every bite reflecting the volunteers’ care and dedication.
The banquet at the Tzu Chi office on Songlong Road in Taipei showcased another example of thoughtful vegetarian cuisine. Volunteer Chen Chun-ying (陳春穎) devoted countless hours to perfecting her recipe for “Savory Mushrooms and Taro Hearts,” making sure it was both delicious and beautifully presented. For her, time spent in the kitchen was a way to offer her blessings to the community and to show that every guest was truly valued.
Although the year-end banquet is an annual tradition, preparing a lavish feast for 21 tables and more than 200 guests was still a major test for volunteers in Nantou. Cooking coordinator Lin Cai-yun (林彩雲) led three teams, working together on the menu design and coordinating the preparation of eight dishes.
Stepping in from the winter chill, the heat of the kitchen was palpable. Volunteer Chen Han-he (陳漢河) stood over roaring stoves, his shirt soaked through as he worked a heavy wok with a massive spatula. Nearby, 80-year-old Chen Xiu-yun (陳秀雲)—her silver hair shimmering through clouds of steam—handled her knife with steady, rhythmic grace at the cutting board. Amid the aroma of glutinous oil rice, volunteer Wu Mei-li (吳美曆) displayed meticulous craftsmanship. She had hand-picked the ingredients a week in advance and begun prep work two days before the banquet, ensuring the rice was deeply flavorful and perfectly cooked.
When the music began, Huang Cong-yi (黃聰易), in charge of serving, led a group of volunteers into the dining area, dressed in neat uniforms and holding dishes aloft with both hands. Among them was Zeng Rui-ming (曾瑞明), in his 70s, who felt privileged to serve guests at the annual event year after year. He reflected that good health is the foundation for being able to give, something that has become more apparent as he has gotten older.
Lin Jin-long (林金龍) seemed to be everywhere at once—moving between the logistics team and the dining floor, serving tables and supporting wherever he was needed. “We are not just running an event; we are building a sense of family,” he said. He hoped that through their heartfelt hospitality, the families attending would feel that Tzu Chi is always there for them—a family they can rely on—and that the warmth of the banquet would linger in their hearts long after the day ended.
