Good Samaritans ensure poor, daily wagers do not go hungry

About 20 to 25 volunteers go on various routes in Mangaluru to supply food for the needy

Good Samaritans, including volunteers of NGOs, like-minded friends, hotel owners and police personnel, have taken the lead in ensuring food supply to daily wagers, destitute and people from economically weaker sections of society since the announcement of lockdown by the state government to curtail the transmission of Covid-19, in Mangaluru.

Following the closure of several establishments, many labourers and workers have lost jobs and are stranded in the city. They, along with beggars and destitute, spend their time in the open by the side of roads, shops and in under-construction buildings.

Sevanjali Charitable Trust and Yuva Brigade team have been supplying evening snacks, lunch and dinner to the poor and needy found by the roadside near Town Hall and private bus stand, and also to migrant labourers leaving in train at Mangaluru Central Railway station and Mangaluru Junction Railway Station.

About 20 to 25 volunteers go on various routes in the city to supply food for the needy. The trust is managed by MLA Vedavyas Kamath and others.

“Meals and dinner are served to nearly 3,000 people. More than 1,000 migrant labourers leaving for their native at railway stations are supplied food daily,” said Chethan Kamath, one of the volunteer. The food is prepared by catering units. The snacks are sponsored by well-wishers and snacks varies from churmuri, burger, bread bonda, along with juice or tea or ice cream.

“Our group of around 15 friends has started serving snacks for around 250 to 300 people daily which will be continued till the end of the lockdown. Last year, during the lockdown, we had served food for 54 days,” said Rakshith.

“The food is prepared at Urwa. Our friends raised funds among ourselves for this noble initiative. There are scores of people who struggle to get food at least once a day. We supply ‘idli’, ‘Neer Dosa,’ ‘Appam,’ Pulav and others,” said Sanjay Kamath, one of the members in the team. In addition, we get a call from DC’s office seeking to supply ration kits to families in distress as well,” he said.

The plates that are used for serving the food are not discarded indiscriminately. We place carton boxes for the beneficiaries to put the plates after consuming the food so that it can be disposed of scientifically, he added.

Kishore of Fish Chowki Hotel in Kottara has also been serving lunch for50 to 100 people daily.

“My friend Rajesh Kadri who is working in Kuwait, along with his other friends from Kuwait, asked me to start the initiative of helping the needy. Many suffer without a square meal in a day and this is the time to help those in need,” he said.

Kishore said, “The food is prepared in the hotel. We even hand over food packets to those working in petrol bunks, security guards of various buildings, along with poor destitute who are found on streets. The smile that we get when we serve food to the needy gives us satisfaction.”

Two police personnel in Mangaluru City Police Commissionerate too have been serving food for the needy and destitute.

Economics and Narcotics Crime station Head Constable Shivakumar and Surathkal station Head Constable Sunil Kumar have been serving food for the needy at Urwa Store, old bus stand, railway station road, Pumpwell and Kankanady for the last nine days.

“The duo have supplied grocery required for the preparation of the food to Rambhavan Hotel. With the help of the Adimeshwari Cricketers’ team food is served for 150 persons, including the relatives of the patients admitted to hospitals. Even water bottle and masks are also supplied.