Residents of Soi Welcome Jomtien are dedicated to charitable acts for the needy and downtrodden in the Pattaya community and its surroundings.
Led by Paul Cross of the Richmond Bar & Restaurant, the community has give out almost 40,000 meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the situation looks like it is improvement, but deep down the poor are still suffering, so the food relief mission must continue.
On April 28, Peter Green and Paul Cross ventured deep into the rural areas around Pattaya where they met with people in dire need of help. All of them live in flimsy shelters tucked between trees and bushes. The dwellings are pieced together with pieces of wood, old discarded plastic and cloth sheets which gives absolutely no protection against the heat and thunderstorms. But it’s the best they have under these circumstances.
The compassionate men saw a woman sleeping on a mat by the side of the road. She was too week to sit up to receive her food package, so Peter just put the bag next to her and asked her to eat something to regain some of her strength.
Paul says, “we cannot bear to see the suffering of these destitute people which was caused by the economic collapse during the pandemic. We started our food drive in March 2020 and are continuing to bring food to the poor very week. We have many supporters and a lot of donations are coming from our friends overseas. This continuous flow of funds helps to keep us going.”