In these times of crisis, several people appear who show the way with their selfless service and usher in hope in a gloomy atmosphere.
A. Lakshmi Annapurna is one such Good Samaritan who, along with a small team of volunteers, sets out every day to oversee the cooking, packaging and delivery of healthy food to the doorstep of families dealing with the COVID- 19 virus and are in domestic isolation – for free.
“I experienced the quarantine difficulties last October when I tested positive. I felt very weak and cooking food while in isolation was a tedious task, ”she recalls, sharing that she decided to help others by initiating a free grocery delivery service through the Margam Foundation, a service organization that she founded eight years ago.
Despite the challenging situation in the second wave, Ms. Annapurna comes out of the safe rooms of her house with her eight volunteers in tow after all safety measures such as wearing double masks, gloves and the generous use of hand disinfectants and delivers food packages.
“We only started operations in eight areas, but as demand gradually increased, we expanded our service area as people used our published helpline number to request food delivery. We now look after people in 18 different locations, ”she said.
The food is prepared in a central kitchen in One Town and brought to Mogulrajpuram, from where the volunteers take it to various addresses. The initial investment of £ 2 lakh out of her pocket inspired other like-minded people to contribute. For financial reasons, Ms. Prasanna plans to include breakfast and dinner in the coming days and to reach a larger number of people.
To use the services of the Margam Foundation, families affected by COVID in quarantine can call 909477333 at home.
Helping people breathe easily
The members of the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation are troubled by the search for oxygen bottles and are giving new life to people who are gasping for breath by delivering oxygen bottles for free.
Employees can contact the organization at 9393431313. The foundation’s volunteers first identify the caller’s medical needs. “We make sure that the entire exercise is carried out under medical supervision and only deliver the oxygen cylinder after receiving a letter from the doctor concerned,” says Karam Kaur from the foundation. A refundable security deposit of £ 30,000 is required for each cylinder. “This is because we provided the cylinders free of charge in the initial phase and some of the cylinders were not returned,” she explains.
The foundation is awash with panic calls. “We’re also trying to advise people who are affected by the virus, and it works wonders,” says Ms. Kaur. Foundation members have also begun receiving support for the cause from other communities and hope to expand their ministries in the days to come.