A school in Mumbai’s Juhu has become a beacon of hope amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, as it is organising around 700 cooked meals daily for the city’s poor and needy such as old-age homes, street urchins, orphanages and transgender community members.
The Jamnabai Narsee School, which is managed by the Narsee Monjee Education Trust, authorities have been rustling up the daily meals since March 31 in collaboration with the institution’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Around 6,000 meals have been distributed to date.
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“We’re using our school’s kitchen to cook meals for the poor and needy. Our in-house cooks are preparing the meals and parents are helping with distribution. We want to put our existing resources to good use amid the crisis,” Jairaj, trustee, Jamnabai Narsee School, said.
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Manan Doshi, vice-chairperson of the school’s PTA, explained how they hit upon the initiative. “The cooks, who work in the school, come from various parts of the country. They couldn’t go back home because of the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown that started on March 25 to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. We decided to utilise their services, as many places such as old-age homes are facing staff crunch because their cooks have gone back to their native places. We want to reach out to people in need,” Doshi said.
{{/usCountry}}Manan Doshi, vice-chairperson of the school’s PTA, explained how they hit upon the initiative. “The cooks, who work in the school, come from various parts of the country. They couldn’t go back home because of the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown that started on March 25 to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. We decided to utilise their services, as many places such as old-age homes are facing staff crunch because their cooks have gone back to their native places. We want to reach out to people in need,” Doshi said.
{{/usCountry}}Parents are also trying to distribute masks, cookies, and other essential items depending on the need and availability of resources.
The school has also redesigned its logo for the interim. The sides of the hexagon have been separated to reinforce the message of social distancing amid the viral outbreak. “We want to spread awareness about social distancing. The redesigned logo drives home the point,” said Jairaj.