Food bank, Coimbatore, which is championing the cause of poor feeding in the city has set a mile stone today by organizing a massive cooking event for 1000 people, at the VOC grounds which would be distributed to the neediest and homeless lot.
“Organized with the help of the liberal donors and volunteers hailing from various sections of society, we are able to achieve this mile stone. This time we plan to distribute a good 1000 packs of vegetable biryani, with egg to the neediest lot who live on the margins of society including the mentally and physically challenged, and the old and meek, who have been forced out of their homes and made to live in the streets due to crude twist of destiny”, said Vaishnavi Balaji, Coordinator of the event, who runs the Food bank NGO.
“As soon as we announced our mission to mass cook for the needy ones in the city in social media forums, help poured in from everywhere. Within a week time, we are supplied with the groceries and vegetables and egg which are need to make this mass feeding a reality" she added.
Vaishnavi further said that "The vagrants and beggars who are roaming about the streets and made begging their profession are not our target beneficiaries, but we help out the homeless, mentally and physically challenged, and the old and the meek.”
"Our mission doesn't stop with the feeding of the deprived but we also offer counselling and help them admit them in government-run homes and in some cases, set open communication channels with their family members and help them reunite with their families. We could see a number of such pathetic souls in Puliakulam area and help them start the life anew by getting them jobs too", Vaishnavi said.
Citing about the recent success of providing a fresh start to an abandoned man, Vaishnavi shared that "Recently we helped a man who is good at carpentry and lived in the streets to get a job, and now he is leading a decent life and we would continue to help as many souls as possible”, said Vaishnavi Balaji who had quit a well-paying job to start the food bank to help the needy.
No one wants to lead a life of waif, but cruel circumstances and sudden shocking events, force them leave home and wander about the street. Some of them get mentally affected, even though they are educated and coming from good family back ground. Hence such initiatives by NGO's like Food Bank definitely deserves great appreciation as they do not just focus on feeding the hunger every time instead provide them opportunities and transform their lives to take care of themselves in the future.