From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 8: CoronaCare Bengaluru, a joint Covid intervention initiative by leading Christian Non-Governmental Organisations- HOPE, BREADS, ECHO, AIFO Good Quest Foundation and Orione Seva and Claretians from Macau, has launched Food at Doorstep program.
The food delivery of the needy people affected by the Covid pandemic on April 15 has completed supply of food for the last 14 days has succeeded in reaching out to over 1000 persons.
Starting with a kitchen in R T Nagar in Bangalore East, the second one has been opened in the Jalahalli area and each centre is serving 300 persons a day. The third kitchen has now been established in Bangalore South in Jayanagar which delivers 60 packets daily and fourth one was started to cover Indira Nagar and Whitefield area with a special focus for those affected in the slum areas. The local workers came together to cook and take the food home for more than 300 persons.
Apart from the food packets, CoronaCare Bengaluru has reached out with Survival Kits to the most affected groups. About 100 leprosy affected families settled in colonies were provided 1000 rupees worth dry ration Kits and 55 families with persons with disabilities connected to the ProVision India were also provided the Kits.
CoronaCare has opened food supply program in Macau covering about 200 persons who are mostly migrants with Claretians collaborating with the Archdiocese of Macau.
Mother’s Meal program of was another initiative to provide sustainable support to the families in distress during Covid times and given Mother’s Meal Kits to over 3000 families every month since last August.
“We are now collaborating with BAPIO (British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) to provide food security for 1000 families of the Tribals in Wayanad district of Kerala for the COVID affected families. They will also provide with medical consultation for the hospitals in need,’’ says Fr George Kannanthanam, Founder, Hope Society.
“Our latest effort is to set up a Covid Care Centre in Bangalore for those who require primary care since hospital beds have become very difficult to be got. We plan this in collaboration with NITI AAYOG of Government of India,’’ he said
The CoronaCare Bengaluru team had during the Covid first wave provided more than 100,000 masks to over six countries including from India to China in the initial days and Survival Kits to over 26,000 during the lockdown in Bangalore covering those with leprosy, HIV, disabilities and the refugees and migrants. "We covered about 1500 tribal families in the deep forests of Karnataka and supplied 40,000 cooked food packets,’’ Fr Kannanthanan said.