The Youth Of Villupuram Provide Fresh Lunch And Dinner To The Poor

20 people quickly turned into a regular routine of feeding 100 people for this community of nyouth. Since the Covid-19 lockdown was placed, such young people, who operate a YouTube channel, have extended their hands to feed the poor and needy in Villupuram.

Using resources from their friends and family, this community of ten to twelve young people has been supplying lunch for people sheltered on the roadsides, outside of the railway station, and outside of the bus stand in Villupuram.

M Faizal, S Jeelani, M Selvam, A Praveen, M Dakshinamurthy, K Suresh, S Sadam Hussain, and A Chinadurai, all in their twenties, were seen riding their bikes through town with containers of food packets to be distributed to the homeless on a hot summer afternoon.

With a pack of 'variety' rice with pickles, we had been delivering lunch for people who end up on the streets and are homeless. During Eid, we served chicken biryani. Their parents and neighbours contributed money, and they invest about Rs 2,000 per day on vegetables, rice, oil, and packaging. For the past eight days, we've been doing this nonstop. The chief manager of channel C Periyardasan said they fed over 150 people on a regular basis.

They decided to feed a minimum of 20 on the first day, P Sakthi, the channel's executive officer, told The New Indian Express. So they cooked at our friend's place and distributed them. However, when we delivered the food, we realised that there were even more people who needed lunch and dinner.

A 35-year-old man living inside the premises of the town railway station, who had been abandoned by his relatives, smiled as he started receiving the hot pack of tomato rice and said before the lockdown, he used to work for a daily wage to fulfil his basic needs. However, he now has nowhere to go. The boys, more than the food, make me feel less lonely.

M Anandaraj, a 29-year-old chef, owns a mobile fast food centre near ES hospital, but he had to close it due to the lockdown.

Krishnaveni, a 45-year-old destitute woman who lives near the old law college on the path said that it's as if her long-lost son is living among these young people, ensuring that she doesn't go hungry when the world is turned upside down by the pandemic.

Anandraj said that during the lockdown, he doesn't have anything specific to do in this span of time. As a result, he decided to help the boys. Every morning around 8:00 a.m., they deliver the ingredients to me, and he finishes cooking around 12:30 p.m. It gives me pleasure to know that my food will feed someone in need. This is my contribution to society in these trying times.

V Ashok Kumar, a member of Villupuram '360° channel said that before it cools off, the cooked food will be packed hot and delivered quickly. They split into two groups and went on two separate routes with two buckets of food packets each.

Along with the existing lunch schedule, the team had also decided to provide dinner.