Porridge pours on

Free porridge continues to pour for penniless migrant workers in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province after the owner of a plastic surgery clinic in nearby Jinhua took over the charity food stand.

The porridge stand was initially launched by a charity-minded man named Lin Ruxin in late January when an estimated 1,000 bowls of porridge and 2,000 pieces of steamed bread were dished out to hungry migrant workers for 65 days.

It cost Lin 1,000 yuan ($146) a day to run the free food operation, but it was closed in early April for sanitation reasons.

A week later the stand reopened after the new owner surnamed He had it cleaned up and vowed to keep it running for at least 10 years.

“I will invest 800,000 to 1 million yuan annually in the free porridge stand. That's not a big deal for my business. Running the stand for another 10 years is not an empty talk,” He said.

His porridge philanthropy drew mixed responses from the local residents, some of whom commended He for his charity and others thought he was just a shrewd businessman promoting his plastic surgery clinic.

Qianjiang Evening News