In the mountainous Yanqing District of Beijing, a white van emblazoned with "Quanxin Quanyi Elderly Service Love Vehicle" drives out of the Pearl Spring Township Senior Meal Service Center at 9:30 AM. Delivery driver Wang Yonglong navigates the winding mountain roads with ease. Upon reaching Zhuanshanzi Village, a volunteer takes the insulated lunch box to the home of 82-year-old villager Pei Fengqi.

"Braised pork with beans, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, rice, steamed buns, and millet porridge—all for less than five yuan a meal, delivered right to my doorstep," Pei Fengqi says, opening the lunch box to reveal a fragrant meal. "My daughter used to visit once a week and cook enough food to last several days. Now, with lunch and dinner delivered on time every day, I can enjoy hot meals daily."

This "happiness on the tip of the tongue" stems from the "central kitchen + meal delivery points + volunteer delivery" model adopted by Pearl Spring Township. Located in the northeastern mountainous area of Yanqing District, the township has over 1,000 residents aged 60 and above, accounting for 47% of the permanent population, with a high number of empty-nesters and those living alone. The scattered villages and rugged mountain roads made it difficult for traditional senior canteens to be sustainable, turning "eating well" into a pressing concern for many elderly residents.

Township Party Secretary Li Zhigang explains that the local government consolidated existing senior canteens and vacant collective properties to create a township-level "central kitchen"—the Senior Meal Service Center—capable of seating 100 people. This center not only provides meal services but also offers personal cleaning, psychological counseling, and health guidance. In the kitchen, equipment like electric stoves, dough mixers, and sterilizers are fully stocked as staff prepare meals. "We tailor menus for seniors, updating them weekly, and include local Yanqing specialties like fried dough cakes and cornmeal steamed buns," says Shi Jiaqi, deputy Party branch secretary of Pearl Spring Village. Yu Fuqin, head of the Pearl Spring Village Senior Station, notes that the township has set up meal pickup points across 14 administrative villages and 29 natural villages, forming a two-tier volunteer service team at the township and village levels to create a "delivery to villages, then to homes" network. Xin Haitian, a 62-year-old volunteer in Chenggouwan Village, delivers meals to two to four seniors daily for free. "Not only do I get hot meals, but the delivery staff can also help pick up packages or buy medicine—it's so convenient!" says 85-year-old Luo Weizhi, who lives alone. Leveraging this meal delivery network, Pearl Spring Township expands the "meal delivery+" model to include tasks like delivering medicine, retrieving packages, purchasing items, and even policy advocacy or collecting community feedback, turning meal delivery vehicles into mobile service stations. A joint enforcement team, including market regulators, ensures food safety through a full-chain management system covering ingredient sourcing, sample retention, and accountability. Sustainable funding comes from a diversified mechanism: "individuals contribute a bit, businesses offer discounts, policies provide subsidies, and society donates." Seniors over 60 pay less than 5 yuan per meal, with the rest covered by elderly care subsidies and donations. "As of July 2026, we've served over 70,000 person-times and delivered nearly 1,600 meals," says Huang Jingrong, the township's discipline inspection secretary. Pearl Spring Township's efforts reflect Yanqing District's broader approach to building a comprehensive meal service network for seniors across urban and rural areas.

Where to start

At noon, the scent of cooking rises from the shared canteen in Jintan Village, Changtai Town, Jiangshan City, Zhejiang Province. Zhou Shuifa, a 72-year-old living alone, walks in with a bamboo basket containing eggplants, peppers, and cowpeas freshly picked from his yard. "These vegetables are so fresh today!" says a staff member, weighing and pricing them on an electronic scale, with the value credited to Zhou's meal card. Zhou grins, "I can't finish all my vegetables, so I trade them for meals—it's convenient and affordable." When the Jintan Village shared canteen first opened in 2023, the manager faced resistance: despite services being offered at their doorstep, many seniors were reluctant. The reason? Most felt they had enough vegetables from their own gardens and didn't need to spend money on meals. The canteen devised a solution: purchasing vegetables from seniors at market rates and offering discounted monthly meal cards for 180 yuan, covering lunch and dinner. Seniors could use income from vegetable sales to top up their cards. This solved the vegetable surplus issue and ensured hot meals for seniors. However, accumulating too many vegetables led to challenges: fresh produce is hard to preserve, and oversupply of certain types caused menu monotony, driving up operational costs. How to address this? Shimen Town, near Changtai Town, explored a solution. Its model shared canteen serves over 10,000 residents across three administrative villages near the town center. In 2025, Shimen Town introduced a "point exchange for meals" mechanism, encouraging villagers to earn meal points through community service. Jiang Chunliang, a 71-year-old solitary senior, is a regular customer and primary caretaker of the canteen's "shared prosperity vegetable garden." Last year, the canteen converted over 10 mu of idle land into a garden, encouraging seniors to grow and harvest their own produce. Surplus vegetables are purchased by the Jiangshan City Supply and Marketing Cooperative, with proceeds supporting canteen operations. Jiang and other seniors signed up, working the land in exchange for 50 points per day, each point redeemable for 1 yuan in meal costs. Points can now also be used at the canteen's wellness service points for services like haircuts and massages. As of now, Shimen Town has provided services to over 6,000 villagers, including meals, psychological counseling, and care, distributing more than 30,000 points. "Small canteens connect to big livelihoods," says Wu Zhengrong, director of the Jiangshan Civil Affairs Bureau. As of July, the city operates 243 shared canteens regularly, serving over 140,000 person-trips per month. These are all integrated into a unified management system via the "Good Steward" smart meal service platform, with transparent fee settlements and fund allocation. "This year, we'll build comprehensive livelihood complexes around shared canteens, serving the elderly, children, disadvantaged groups, and people with disabilities, continuing to use vegetable-for-meal and point-exchange mechanisms to improve service quality and efficiency," Wu adds.

Why just ten ASX 200 shares?

In the mountains of Lushi County, Henan Province, feeding rural seniors posed a challenge. With children away, some elders, preferring convenience, often made do with plain noodles and pickles, risking malnutrition. How to ensure they eat well? Dongming Town's Qicunwan Village has its own solution. By noon, outside the village's standardized nursing station near the committee office, a queue of seniors forms at the village's senior canteen. Party branch secretary Lin Shifeng explains that in 2022, village party members and officials decided to set up a canteen in the committee yard. Utilizing existing committee rooms saved construction costs; the presence of county and town leaders and villagers ensured transparency and oversight. The canteen, about 70 square meters, has 13 tables and a cabinet air conditioner. Two women serve meals. "They're chefs with family obligations—they can't work outside. This public welfare post helps both seniors and local employment," Lin says. A blackboard lists the menu: lunch features mixed stewed vegetables (cabbage, vermicelli, pork belly), corn porridge, steamed buns, and baked cakes; dinner includes sour noodle soup and buns. How much does a meal cost for seniors? "Only 1 yuan per person per meal," Lin explains. "The county civil affairs bureau subsidizes 2 yuan per meal. Additionally, donations from local worthies and village funds help cover the rest." "My children aren't around, so cooking alone is uneconomical—I used to cook enough for three days," says villager Yan Chunsuo, eating at the canteen. "Now, I get hot, fresh food for both lunch and dinner." By 12:15 PM, the canteen is full, with some seniors sitting outside. After eating, some head home, while others relax and chat in the committee yard's recreation room. "On weekends, we can watch Yu Opera on the square—we all sing along!" says senior Hou Liusheng. Zhang Jiasen, director of the Lushi Civil Affairs Bureau, reports that the county has established 71 village (community) meal service points. A smart identification system for senior meals precisely allocates a 2-yuan subsidy per meal per person via facial recognition, ensuring funds are used for meals. "Each time a senior scans their face, the system automatically deducts 2 yuan, ensuring money goes directly to their meals," Zhang says. "We'll continue exploring village-level nursing service points, aiming for full coverage of 179 village (community) meal services by year-end. Additionally, canteens in government and enterprise units will pilot opening to all seniors in the county," says Party Secretary Hu Zhiquan.