Vietnamese to Vietnamese

The Vietnamese community in Oak Island has been given a dose of comfort food from Vietnamese parishioners of St. Joseph, Beaumont.

Every Sunday, different Vietnamese families from St. Joseph have been cooking authentic Vietnamese meals and transporting them to Our Lady of Light, Anahuac, for the Vietnamese residents in Oak Island.

“They come to sit eat and enjoy fellowship,” Father Joseph Khanh Ho, pastor of St. Louis, Winnie, said.

“At first, we didn’t know there was a Vietnamese community here. Then Father Ho told us,” Lisa Nguyen, St. Joseph parishioner, said.

Nguyen said that they started feeding the families because they felt the need to give back to the community.

“They didn’t have any Vietnamese food, just MREs, and they were getting tired of it,” Nguyen said.

The food has given the Oak Island families, most of whom lost their homes due to Hurricane Ike, a little sense of comfort in a time of uncertainty.

Not only have the St. Joseph parishioners been feeding the community, but also on Nov. 16 Julie Nguyen, St. Joseph youth director and nurse practitioner, administered flu shots to help prepare the residents for the upcoming flu season.

“It gives them a chance to chat and share their stories," Father Ho said of the communities visiting. "This will create lasting relationships.”