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No one should have to wonder where their next meal will come from, spare #ThoughtForFood.
Many people who helped us in normal times are struggling today to pay bills. These include daily wage earners like rickshaw and taxi drivers, mall workers, maids, street vendors, and others in the unorganized sector.
We started as a citizen-led campaign in March 2020 to meet the immediate, lockdown-induced food demands of the homeless, migrant workers, daily wage labourers, and other vulnerable populations in the cities of Pune and Delhi. A campaign that was powered by the cities of Pune and Delhi was able to serve 16 lakh meals and distribute more than 32,000 grocery kits. Our migrant relief operation served 1 lakh+ migrants travelling by railways and road at Delhi, Pune’s 4 key exit points. We soon evolved into a volunteer-driven team striving to eliminate the problem of hunger in both the cities.
Through our Hunger Map Project, we have used latest technology and the wide network of volunteers and community leaders, who have been monitoring the situation on the ground for the past year. In the last few months, the COVID-19 cases have risen sharply, forcing the government to declare a partial lockdown which may soon be expanded to a full-fledged one.
Anticipating the acute food demand, we have begun with serving 2000 meals across micro-clusters and along Delhi, Pune’s arterial roads. We have also tied up with Zomato Feeding India to expand our food distribution.
We are ensuring that the most vulnerable populations have access to food.
“Most people who can afford and have a place to stay are indoors, working from home. But for people like us, the choice is between safety and hunger. What should we pick?” asks one of our beneficiaries who has been homeless and living under the highway depending on our operations.
A year later, we already know the adverse impact the lockdown will have on the poor. So we firmly believe that we need to stand by them and support them once again. We are definitely better prepared than last time in terms of operations, technology and manpower. Yet, it seems like an impossible task to eliminate the hunger of millions who are going to be left without food for the entirety of the lockdown.
What areas are we covering?
Homeless beneficiaries identified along the arterial roads of the city: Western Express Highway, Eastern Express Highway, Hadapsar, Mundhwa,
Slum clusters: Laxmi Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar in Pune
Narela, Delhi-UP Border, Kidwai Nagar, INA Colony Slums, Sarojini Nagar Slums, Patparganj, Kirti Nagar, Karolbagh in Delhi
Institutions: Hospitals, orphanages, old-age homes, mental health institutions, prisons, LGBTQ+ support groups
If you know a community in need of food, reach out to us on twitter @DrPriyaSrvastva
Operations:
Our operations are designed as a result of our work during the first national lockdown in 2020. We have established a network of 15 volunteers, more than 20 kitchen partners and over 100+ citizen volunteers. We are known for our hygienic, nutritious food with a calorie count high enough to be sufficient for a day.
At the outset, we would like to thank you for the continuous generosity dedicated to our relief efforts for the past few weeks. It has helped us to make a considerable impact in many lives. We started off with 500 meals daily but your support boosted our capacity to 4,000 meals daily.
Impact at a glance (data as on 20th June):
· 15,369 grocery kits distributed to 80 families in distress
· 20 kitchen partners activated as a part of our outreach
· 3 community kitchens serving communities while generating local employment opportunities
What’s the situation on the ground?
Based on our evaluation of the situation on the ground with our community organizers, partner organizations and experienced social workers, we have the following set of observations:
· Any form of disturbance to the local economy can potentially disrupt employment opportunities for those engaged in the daily-wage industry.
· The local economy in Pune, Delhi Metropolitan Region has been severely affected, creating an obstacle in the path to recovery. Jobs are lost, businesses are shut and income is stalled.
· Our team has been catering to a wide range of beneficiaries including daily wage-earning communities like construction labourers, sanitation workers, domestic workers, auto-rickshaw drivers, and a whole range of informal labor force.
· We are also catering to the marginalized groups like commercial sex workers, transgender collectives and homeless on the streets of the city. Many of them have been receiving aid in the form of cooked meals and grocery kits.
· Cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc on many communities living in the city’s slums. It made our relief operation difficult as some of our beneficiaries lost the roof over their head along with daily income. Any form of relief has to include support for these communities.
· Grocery kits are a logistically and financially sustainable measure to support beneficiaries in the long-run, especially in the incoming monsoon season.
The path ahead
An emergency relief is the urgent requirement on the ground. Our operations will be aligned to address this sense of urgency by continuing the ongoing aid. However, our current status limits the operations to 20th June 2021.
How can YOU help
Many people who helped us in normal times are struggling today to pay bills. These include daily wage earners like rickshaw and taxi drivers, mall workers, maids, street vendors, and others in the unorganized sector.
We started as a citizen-led campaign in March 2020 to meet the immediate, lockdown-induced food demands of the homeless, migrant workers, daily wage labourers, and other vulnerable populations in the cities of Pune and Delhi. A campaign that was powered by the cities of Pune and Delhi was able to serve 16 lakh meals and distribute more than 32,000 grocery kits. Our migrant relief operation served 1 lakh+ migrants travelling by railways and road at Delhi, Pune’s 4 key exit points. We soon evolved into a volunteer-driven team striving to eliminate the problem of hunger in both the cities.
Through our Hunger Map Project, we have used latest technology and the wide network of volunteers and community leaders, who have been monitoring the situation on the ground for the past year. In the last few months, the COVID-19 cases have risen sharply, forcing the government to declare a partial lockdown which may soon be expanded to a full-fledged one.
Anticipating the acute food demand, we have begun with serving 2000 meals across micro-clusters and along Delhi, Pune’s arterial roads. We have also tied up with Zomato Feeding India to expand our food distribution.
We are ensuring that the most vulnerable populations have access to food.
“Most people who can afford and have a place to stay are indoors, working from home. But for people like us, the choice is between safety and hunger. What should we pick?” asks one of our beneficiaries who has been homeless and living under the highway depending on our operations.
A year later, we already know the adverse impact the lockdown will have on the poor. So we firmly believe that we need to stand by them and support them once again. We are definitely better prepared than last time in terms of operations, technology and manpower. Yet, it seems like an impossible task to eliminate the hunger of millions who are going to be left without food for the entirety of the lockdown.
What areas are we covering?
Homeless beneficiaries identified along the arterial roads of the city: Western Express Highway, Eastern Express Highway, Hadapsar, Mundhwa,
Slum clusters: Laxmi Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar in Pune
Narela, Delhi-UP Border, Kidwai Nagar, INA Colony Slums, Sarojini Nagar Slums, Patparganj, Kirti Nagar, Karolbagh in Delhi
Institutions: Hospitals, orphanages, old-age homes, mental health institutions, prisons, LGBTQ+ support groups
If you know a community in need of food, reach out to us on twitter @DrPriyaSrvastva
Operations:
Our operations are designed as a result of our work during the first national lockdown in 2020. We have established a network of 15 volunteers, more than 20 kitchen partners and over 100+ citizen volunteers. We are known for our hygienic, nutritious food with a calorie count high enough to be sufficient for a day.
At the outset, we would like to thank you for the continuous generosity dedicated to our relief efforts for the past few weeks. It has helped us to make a considerable impact in many lives. We started off with 500 meals daily but your support boosted our capacity to 4,000 meals daily.
Impact at a glance (data as on 20th June):
· 15,369 grocery kits distributed to 80 families in distress
· 20 kitchen partners activated as a part of our outreach
· 3 community kitchens serving communities while generating local employment opportunities
What’s the situation on the ground?
Based on our evaluation of the situation on the ground with our community organizers, partner organizations and experienced social workers, we have the following set of observations:
· Any form of disturbance to the local economy can potentially disrupt employment opportunities for those engaged in the daily-wage industry.
· The local economy in Pune, Delhi Metropolitan Region has been severely affected, creating an obstacle in the path to recovery. Jobs are lost, businesses are shut and income is stalled.
· Our team has been catering to a wide range of beneficiaries including daily wage-earning communities like construction labourers, sanitation workers, domestic workers, auto-rickshaw drivers, and a whole range of informal labor force.
· We are also catering to the marginalized groups like commercial sex workers, transgender collectives and homeless on the streets of the city. Many of them have been receiving aid in the form of cooked meals and grocery kits.
· Cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc on many communities living in the city’s slums. It made our relief operation difficult as some of our beneficiaries lost the roof over their head along with daily income. Any form of relief has to include support for these communities.
· Grocery kits are a logistically and financially sustainable measure to support beneficiaries in the long-run, especially in the incoming monsoon season.
The path ahead
An emergency relief is the urgent requirement on the ground. Our operations will be aligned to address this sense of urgency by continuing the ongoing aid. However, our current status limits the operations to 20th June 2021.
How can YOU help
- Donate for our cause!
- Report hunger: If you know someone who needs immediate assistance in the Pune, Delhi Metropolitan Region, reach out to us at @DrPriyaSrvastva (twitter)
- Volunteer with us: we provide safety equipment like masks, sanitizers, gloves to all our volunteers. Be a part of our 100+ member family!
- Share this in your network and earn some goodwill.
