Lunar New Year at Anna’s House Soup Kitchen

A t Anna’s House, Fr Vincenzo Bordo has prepared an evening meal, 6 days each week for more than 23 years.  He describes it as a miracle that each day he receives enough donations from his supporters to feed on average, 500 mouths at a meal service.

Anna’s House is an unassuming building in Seongnam City where Fr Vincenzo runs several projects for the homeless.  In addition to the nightly soup kitchen; those who come seeking help are provided with medical care, a place to wash and care for themselves physically, they can get clothing supplies, rehabilitation and counselling.  Fr Vincenzo also seeks to assist those who wish to re-enter the workforce.

Naturally, over 23 years, Fr Vincenzo has developed a good network of volunteers who assist him in his work.  The holiday periods when families in South Korea get together can be difficult for the homeless.  For Anna’s House, it also means that there are fewer volunteers available for the Soup Kitchen.

Over Lunar New Year, ANZA Korea provided some hands-on support for Fr Vincenzo in his kitchen.  We washed pots, stacked dishes, scraped plates, scooped rice, cleared tables and offered a warm smile to those who were not able to participate in the family gatherings happening around the city.

We were joined by members of the Seoul Association of Military Attache Spouse’s Group (SAMA) who also had heard the news that some help was required and had responded enthusiastically.  SAMA also generously donated approximately 9 million KRW to Anna’s House so that they can continue with their range of programmes.

So it was a lively and international kitchen team at Anna’s House for Lunar New Year.  Another day, another miracle for Fr Vincenzo.

Thank you to those who gave up their time to help out.  If you are interested to learn more about the programmes run through Anna’s House, you can follow Fr Vincenzo on Facebook or view the Anna’s House website.