The VO2 vegetarian meal ordering platform teams up with Tzu Chi volunteers to launch a vegetarian charity meal program, planning to deliver more than 3,200 meals to over 30 schools across Hualien. | Photo: Isaac Chiu (邱國氣)

In Hualien, eastern Taiwan, a simple vegetarian lunchbox is doing more than filling children’s stomachs. It is bringing together community care, environmental awareness, and a vision of sustainable eating.

The VO2 vegetarian meal-ordering platform has partnered with volunteer groups to launch a vegetarian charity meal program that recently reached Dajin Elementary School in Guangfu Township, Hualien County. Through plant-based lunches and interactive environmental education, the program brings warmth and energy into school campuses.

Learning nutrition and sustainability through play

During the event, teachers and volunteers dressed up as “fruit and vegetable characters.” Through fun quizzes and role-play, they helped students learn about the nutritional benefits of different vegetables and fruits. The classroom buzzed with laughter as children learned, almost without noticing, about healthy eating and caring for the environment.

Over the course of this initiative, more than 3,200 vegetarian meals will be delivered to 30 schools and related institutions across Hualien County. The organizers hope that by tasting the food themselves and joining interactive activities, children will build a practical understanding of vegetarian meals and broader sustainability issues through their daily lunches.

From the CEO's Office at Tzu Chi Foundation, senior specialist Isaac Chiu (邱國氣) shared that the ongoing meal deliveries aim to gradually nurture children’s awareness of environmental issues and healthy eating, so that these ideas can take root and grow within schools.

“Warm Food Power, sending vegetable love”: at the start of the new year, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and the VO2 ordering platform bring love into schools through concrete action, so that children can enjoy healthy and sustainable lunches. | Photo: Isaac Chiu

Care for disaster-affected communities

This round of deliveries also carried a special meaning. Meals were sent to Guangfu Township, an area previously devastated by a barrier lake incident, and the event was combined with ongoing post-disaster recovery care in Hualien.

When the meals arrived in the classroom, the children could hardly wait. One student from Guangfu Elementary School happily described the contents: broccoli, grapes, rice, corn, and egg yolk. The child expressed real enjoyment of the vegetarian meal, showing that plant-based lunches can be both appealing and satisfying.

Reusable containers and everyday environmental action

The charity meal program is not only about what is in the lunchbox, but also about how it is served.

All meals in this initiative are delivered in reusable, eco-friendly containers. Principal Tong-Fang Huang (黃彤芳) of Guangfu Elementary School explained that students who cannot finish their food use their own containers to take the leftovers home. This practice reduces the use of single-use tableware and helps students put environmental concepts into action in their daily lives.

By linking vegetarian meals, environmental education, and social care, the organizers hope to plant seeds of health and sustainability in children’s hearts, allowing these ideas to continue to grow and spread across school campuses.

Written by Yi-Ting Wang (王藝婷)