Love @ Po Leung Kuk

帶著食物援助包來到受助者譚婆婆的家門前，隱約看到鐵閘布簾後的譚婆婆出來迎接。「係咪吳姑娘呀？好耐無見，好掛住你啊！」隨行的吳姑娘熟練的叫我們踏入家門，然後與譚婆婆一起整理桌椅。一坐下，譚婆婆又說，「婆婆唔叻，唔識字，好彩你叫吳姑娘，12345我仲識，我識叫你5姑娘。」兩人相視而笑，彷如老朋友相聚。   譚婆婆也算是保良局的「老朋友」，她2014年開始接受本局食物援助。   譚婆婆每月生活只靠長者生活津貼，女兒多年前已失去聯絡，婆婆現在獨力照顧13歲的孫女，屬跨代照顧個案。譚婆婆早年於地盤工作時弄傷了兩腿膝蓋，關節亦開始退化，近年只能靠拾紙皮增加收入，近月因疫情緣故，婆婆怕感染病毒傳染孫女，因此已放棄了拾紙皮工作，只能在生活上更加慳。她數日才捨得換一次口罩；每天早午餐加起來當一餐；每次到食物銀行拿食物，為了慳2元搭車錢，寧願步行超過30分鐘去領取物資；她常掛在嘴邊的是「希望留多一點給孫女」。   因此，當譚婆婆知道保良局扶弱計劃讓她可以得到額外的食物包時，她萬分感激保良局。「食物包有麵好正！樣樣都齊，幫輕咗我好多！我又可以煮腸仔麵俾孫女食！」婆婆拿著食物包中的超市禮券喜從心來，還興奮的告訴孫女「我哋可以去買多啲腸仔了！」   當我們關心婆婆夠吃與否時，譚婆婆感恩的說「夠了夠了，我不會多取，夠用就可以了。我哋窮，但也有人比我哋更窮，夠用就可以了！」婆婆很少為自己打算，整個傾談過程常常問我們坐得辛苦與否，又抱歉只有風扇沒有冷氣，還叮囑一段時間沒見的吳姑娘早點回工作間，「你早點回去吧，用了你一個小時，食物銀行忙著呢！」   平日分發食物援助時，吳姑娘也會把握機會關心受助者身心狀況，支援受眾物質的同時，也給予他們情緒上的關顧。但因疫情緣故，食物銀行需要支援更多基層家庭，個別關顧時間也相應減少了。吳姑娘知道我們上門訪問譚婆婆，她也特意調時間來見見婆婆，除為了來探探老朋友，也想親手將這食物包送給她，免卻她來回步行之苦。   一個食物包，一小時相聚，一見如故。食物援助紀錄表上是一個名字，背後卻是一個為照顧孫女努力生活的長者故事。分發食物，可以是機械式的工作，也可以是一個雪中送炭的咫尺善行。

Yu Tin Ching (Ching) has resided in Po Leung Kuk’s dormitory (also known as “the House”) since 2 years-old. The shy little boy would only sit quietly aside in the beginning, even the in-house staff could hardly notice him. Fortunately, he got his chance to shine on stage. Whenever Ching danced, the invisible boy stole the limelight and became the “dancing king” among the children in the House.     Ching loves dancing since he was small. He originally taught himself by watching online dance tutorials. However, it is difficult to master the basic skills or make further progress through self-study. Luckily, Ching met with another dancing enthusiast, Ms. Cheung, in Primary 4. Ms. Cheung discovered the talents of Ching, she initiated him into dance trainings and practices, as well as arranged him to participate in various stage performances of the Kuk, such as the Child Sponsors’ Day, so as to build up his self-confidence gradually.     Ching dreams of becoming a professional dancer. He hopes to learn more dancing techniques from dance schools, but stepping out from the comfort zone of the House and the expensive tuition fee made him feel confused about his future. “Do you really want to be a Dancer?” Ms. Cheung reassured Ching and let him finally made up his mind.    Later with the help of Ms. Cheung and social workers, Ching received financial assistance from “Angels for Orphans” programme of Po Leung Kuk, and started learning jazz dance and street dance at professional dance schools. At the last Child’s Sponsor Day of this 18-year-old boy, Ching decided to express his gratitude to the Sponsors by delivering his best dancing performance before leaving the House.    After DSE, Ching targets to enter The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts to further develop in dance studies and achieve his dream as a dancer, “I wish that one day, I can come back to the House as dance tutor, and contribute to the Child Sponsor’s Day.”