Food from home: many cooking for Covid+ families

Volunteers from across Bengaluru are pitching in with help as more and more test positive

Srinivas Murthy

Subhashini and her husband Srinivas Murthy, residents of Koramangala, supply three meals (as seen in the picture) a day to 10 Covid-positive families.

Volunteers and families across Bengaluru are cooking and delivering food for those who have tested Covid-19 positive. While some do it for free, others charge a fee.

People love her cooking

Subhashini and her husband Srinivas Murthy, a retired civil engineer, were keen to help people, especially the under-privileged, affected by the pandemic. Their daughter Meghana Srinivas, an entrepreneur, supported them. Subhashini began to make three meals a day for 10 Covid-affected families. “My mother loves cooking and the initiative came naturally to her. She consults a dietician for each family and cooks according to their requirements,” explains Meghana. Subhashini packs in fruits and vegetables to make sure the meals are healthy. The food is sent in disposable containers via Dunzo. “We don’t charge anything, it is absolutely free,” says Meghana. The initiative has touched many lives. “They call my mother to appreciate her initiative and to tell her how tasty the food is,” she says.

* Contact Meghana on Instagram (@meg_srinivas)

Wake up at 3 am to cook

Neetu Pankaj (Gupta), who runs a play home in Whitefield, is sending out free food. “I make breakfast, lunch and dinner for about 20 families. I wake up at 3 am and by 8 am the meals are prepared, packed and ready. The menu is vegetarian and I make sure that I rotate the dishes to break the monotony,” says Neetu. Many senior citizens are seeking her services.

* Neetu can be contacted on 81973 97993

Film family’s initiative

Vandana and Apurva Kasaravalli, who hail from a family known for making arthouse cinema, distributed free grocery kits last year when the pandemic first broke out. This year, it has been a week since they started sending out meals.

A package of three meals is served for seven and 14 days. “We use less oil, less spice and custom-make it for people who are advised less salt. We have been catering to 10 families in and around south Bengaluru,” explains Vandana, who begins her cooking at 6 am. The delivery is done by Apurva and Vandana.

“Swiggy and Dunzo are expensive and some boys are wary about delivering to Covid-positive people, so delivering in person works for us,” she adds.

* Vandana can be contacted on 78995 49696

Women join hands

Members of Terapanth Mahila Mandal in Rajarajeshwari Nagar have joined hands to distribute a meal for Rs 60 only for people who are keen to pay, else the food is free.

Breakfast is also available on request. “We have been getting requests from families where all members are Covid-positive. Some people here have lost their jobs and we thought large-scale cooking would not only keep them busy but also fetch them some income,” says Saroj R Baid, president of the Mandali.

They are currently catering to patients in and around Kengeri, RR Nagar, Vijayanagar and Nayandahalli.

* Terapanth Mahila Mandali: 70697 35523

Lending a helping hand

Volunteers of Mission Chai Seema and her husband Rakesh Nayyar, supported by their daughter Kritika, volunteer in eastern Bengaluru and supply free food.

“We currently cater to households around Old Airport Road and Indiranagar. Each volunteer cooks one dish and we put the menu together. It is about equal distribution of work. The menu is vegetarian and we make sure that we don’t repeat the dishes too often except on demand,” explains Kritika Nayyar.

They also get requests from senior citizens who live around the area and don’t have help with cooking.