河南漯河沟李村39岁的返乡青年李涛从2024年3月开始在村西头用大铁锅为村里的老人免费提供午餐[1]。沟李村70岁以上的老人约300人，最多时每天超过120人来就餐[1]。这张饭桌逐渐成为村里老人的聚集地，重新为沉寂的农村赋予了热闹和人情味，老人们的生活质量和精神面貌因此得到显著改善[1]。
为了坚持这项公益事业，李涛付出了巨大代价[1]。他花光了20万元积蓄，又卖掉了一套城里的房子来维持饭堂运营[1]。在最困难的阶段，饭堂每天的菜钱就需要400至500元，而2024年4月到6月的直播打赏收入还不足5000元[1]。幸运的是，最近半年的情况逐步改善——直播收入稳定在月5000元左右，短视频也带来了新的收益，共卖出800多单[1]。如今饭堂每天的开销已降至约300元，账上首次出现了结余[1]。
老人们对李涛的感恩溢于言表[1]。村民王翠玲曾对他说："等你以后赚大钱了，可得包辆大巴车，拉俺这帮老头老太太上北京看看"[1]。88岁的李老太太曾每天蹬三轮车往返6公里送菜支持饭堂，在2024年8月初去世[1]。李涛的妻子支持他的坚持，他表示2025年年底会继续卖房来运营饭堂[1]。
Li Tao, a 39-year-old who returned to his hometown, began serving free lunch to over 300 elderly residents in Gouli Village, Luohe, Henan Province, starting in late March 2024, using a large iron pot at the village's western edge[1]. The initiative has now sustained for more than a year, transforming a simple dining hall into a gathering place where the village's elderly population congregates daily[1].
The endeavor has required substantial personal sacrifice from Li Tao[1]. He exhausted his savings of 200,000 yuan and sold a house in the city to fund the operation[1]. During the most challenging period between April and June 2024, daily meal costs ranged from 400 to 500 yuan, while livestream donations brought in less than 5,000 yuan monthly[1]. However, recent months have brought gradual improvement; over the past six months, livestream income has stabilized around 5,000 yuan per month, supplemented by earnings from short videos that have generated over 800 sales[1]. The daily operational cost has now decreased to approximately 300 yuan, and the account has recorded its first surplus[1].
The free dining table has revitalized social life in the rural village, visibly improving both the living standards and mental well-being of elderly residents[1]. One elderly woman, Wang Cuiling, expressed her gratitude by saying, "When you make big money later, you must charter a big bus and take us old folks to Beijing to see the sights"[1]. The initiative also honors the memory of an 88-year-old woman, Li Laotai, who had previously pedaled a tricycle back and forth 6 kilometers daily to deliver dishes before her passing in early August 2024[1].
