Food, blood, provisions, all help counts

Amid the lockdown to curb the outbreak of Covid-19, citizens are doing their

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bit to ensure help to those in need.

Lalbaughcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal has been organising a blood donation camp for the last two days and intend to continue for the next 10 days. On Monday, they collected 115 bottles of blood and on Tuesday, around 204.

“There is a shortage of blood in the state. Which is why we decided to organise this,” said Balasaheb Kamble, president of the mandal.

A social organisation called Swaymasiddh Swaymrojagar Apang has been sending social media messages to people across the city requesting them to help with groceries or funding, which could further be donated to the needy.

Jamaat-e-islami Hind, along with students group Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), distributed 1000 food packets to daily wage earners at Vikhroli, Kurla, Madanpura, Oshiwara and Andheri on Sunday and Monday. “It is our responsibility to help the most vulnerable,” said Haseeb Bhatkar, Mumbai president of Jamaat-e-Islami.

City-based Project Mumbai is helping provide groceries and medicines to those in home quarantine with no delivery charges. Shishir Joshi, chief executive officer, Project Mumbai said, “We are trying to find a solution with authorities where we can issue special passes to the volunteers for the next few days.”

Yuva, an NGO working with marginalised communities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, have reached out to 668 families with basic provisions in the last few days.

Arun Kumar, CEO, Apnalaya said, “There is a desperate need for the state and city authorities to enable civil society organisations to participate in this crises.”

Not just NGOs, citizens too are helping out individually. Nitin Pawar, 34, who runs a factory in Wagle Estate, is making meals for the needy.

Like Pawar, another social organization Rahmah foundation started by Masjid e Rahmah in Mumbra are also providing free meals to over 500 to 800 people on a daily basis.