Serving the needy, the humane way

Serving two lakh meals free of cost in 35 months is no mean feat, when taken under any yardstick. If the food is provided to have-nots of the society, including orphans, destitute, under-privileged and uncared for sections, runaway kids and accursed shelter-less people besides wretched senior citizens in the autumn of their sorrowful life, it may sound a tad surreal.

It could appear too hard to believe, and even bizarre, when told that this noble mission extends to performing last rites to the bodies that remain unidentified or left on the streets. But wait a second and take a deep breath for this extraordinary miracle is happening right here in the city, thanks to the largesse of a Good Samaritan, whose sincerity and passion to do something good for the hapless lot, has endeared him to likeminded individuals from diverse fields to come on board the befittingly titled ‘Serve Needy’ with suitable sponsorships.

It has won admiration from people who matter, particularly because they render the services to all people, irrespective of the beneficiaries’ caste and community. Working round-the-clock, the dedicated team, steered by the founder-President, Gautham Kumar, is drawing up bigger plans as a means to expand their ‘services’ and reaching out to a larger section from May 10, the momentous day the NGO came into existence three summers ago.

“Our quest is to bring a smile on the faces of the impoverished and forsaken people and make life somewhat meaningful to all those we come across as we create an unhindered ‘one family roof’ that provides for roti, kapda aur makkan besides taking care of the educational needs of children,” points out Kumar, operating from his Karkhana office, while insisting that ensuring all-round health of people, remains paramount to them.

“A lot of projects have been set up in the city to take proper care of the needy. We are all driven by the ‘Annadaata’ motto, which we firmly believe is the fundamental survival requirement. We make it a point to visit Government hospitals, streets, slums, orphanages, shelter homes and cancer hospitals at regular intervals and assist them in whatever possible way we can. After all, they are not children of any lesser god. Breathing life into them and seeing radiance on their faces, give an inner joy to me and my team members, each of whom is as emotionally drawn towards service to humanity,” he explains, contentment writ large on his face.

A service that can move the most heartless souls, and one that not many have ventured into, is in giving decent last rites to the deceased in destitute homes or bodies lying uncared for on the streets. Till date, the multiple ‘human service’ award-winning ‘Serve Needy’ has performed 30 such final rites before the final journey.

Their fully-equipped medical mobile clinic provides primary medical care in the neighborhoods free of cost. Cases of people inflicted with serious ailments or life-threatening diseases are referred to hospitals.Government schools are given shoes and stationary equipment while the grown-ups are introduced to vocational courses so that they could eke out livelihoods of their own, in course of time.

The organisation also takes care of animals. In an innovation that comes as Godsend opportunity for the farming community, they go in for a scientifically-evolved processing of stale food and convert them as fertilizers that are subsequently distributed without any charge to the farmers.
Interested donors and those craving to join them in the humanitarian mission can visit their Facebook page @serveneedy.

By Akella Poornima