On Jan 26, the group members began using their own cars to transport 400 meals－made at three restaurants run by Shen's company, Danqingyan Catering Group－to nearby hospitals.

As medical workers shared news of Shen's activities, meal orders arrived from 16 hospitals in Wuhan, including those designated for patients infected with the coronavirus. At the peak, the number of orders hit 1,000.

Shen said the cooks got up at 7 am every day to prepare lunches, while 13 volunteer drivers stood by at 10:30 am to make deliveries.

"Hospital canteens were unable to fully supply the overwhelmed medical personnel, who barely had time to eat. So, we shouldered part of the burden for them," Shen said, adding that the group provided two meat dishes and a vegetable dish for each person per meal, ensuring that the medics got a balanced diet.

To avoid possible transmission, the medical workers usually came out of the hospital gates to pick up the meals from Shen and other volunteers.

"One time, a doctor asked me to place the meals in the middle of the street and drive away before he came to pick them up. Some of his colleagues had become infected and he didn't want to put me at risk," Shen said.

Li Huici, an official at Yongqing in Jiang'an district, the community in which Shen's company is based, said the neighborhood office donated 400 face masks and 20 protective gowns to support the volunteer work.

Shen's deliveries ended on Feb 1, because all the foodstuffs he had in store had been consumed and market suppliers had suspended operations for the holiday period.

However, after Shen came up with the idea of free meal deliveries, other restaurants followed his lead and provided similar services.

"On our last delivery, we explained the situation to each hospital and shared the contact numbers of my colleagues in the industry with them, hoping they could maintain the service," Shen said.

He added that the medical workers were happy with the meals his group delivered, so he was trying to find a vegetable supplier to provide foodstuffs for his company.