Covid 19 Relief Community Kitchen

India’s declaration of Covid-19 as a “notified disaster” has led to an unprecedented but necessary lockdown on the entire nation, effective from 12 am of 25th March 2020. This has led to a mass migration of and distress for the vulnerable population, comparable to events of 1947. This includes migrant laborers, daily wage earners, shelter homes, refugees, and other such vulnerable populations who have seen the evaporation of all sources of income and have little access to daily necessities. Our estimation puts the number at approx 10 lakh people who need immediate assistance in Telangana.

The need of the moment is providing feasible assistance to this vulnerable section for long-term sustainability, even the unregistered workers. This is being done by coordination of relief efforts to map gaps and avoid duplication and providing direct and indirect assistance to vulnerable sections affected by the COVID-19 crisis including migrant laborers, daily wage earners, shelter homes, orphanages, refugees, elderly including cooked meals to those in need.

In this distressing situation, through T- SIG, a joint project of SIF (PMU) and Dept of Industries, Govt of Telangana, we are working with all stakeholders including government, corporates, and grassroots organizations. We have created a team of 250 volunteers and partner organizations have already supplied ration matching 24,30,000 meals and 11,46,000 cooked meals as on 26-4-2020.               

We need your support to further expand our Impact. 

We aim to supply Cooked Meals 2 times a day to 1,000 vulnerable people for 30 days through Community Kitchens operated by us.

Specific deliverables include:

Database with automated ticketing system 

Cooked meal from community kitchen which will include:

Rice / Roti - 500 gms.

Dal- 100 gms.

One Vegetable dish

Pickle

Curd / Fruit / Egg (optional)

Our direct aim is to provide cooked food twice a day to approx 1,000 from vulnerable sections like migrant laborers, daily wage earners, shelter homes, orphanages, refugees, elderly.

A community kitchen is a local kitchen serving meals to people in the local community. Decentralized and localize nature of Community Kitchens offers the following advantages for the key participants:

Target group: Consumers can reach the kitchen to collect their meals, or have the meals delivered to them easily

Cooking meals: People from the local community can be involved and be responsible for the meals for their own areas. This has the added advantage of taking care of local food preferences.

Volunteers: Volunteers in a community kitchen do not have to travel outside their local areas for distribution 

Generates Employment: Through the participation of local people who would get some employment during such times. 

A community kitchen also offers the following operational efficiencies in terms of better management of Demand and supply on an ongoing basis to minimize wastage, better Costs and Procurement Management, direct Monitoring with help of police and local officials, etc. 

Besides, it can act as a center for Community services where other community services can be delivered to the people- information, disease testing, ration distribution, etc. under the aegis of the local administration. Especially during this period of self-imposed isolation where there are constraints on movement- these centers can be leveraged for community outreach while maintaining safety and social distancing norms.  

SIF aims to ensure delivery of relief in an efficient manner by:

Creation, updating, and maintenance of a necessary database of beneficiaries and identification of gaps 

Backhand coordination of 15 partner organizations to bring more efficiency and avoid duplication and fill all the Gaps 

Operating Community Kitchen to provide cooked meals twice a day 

Note: The project is delivered by a trained group of Volunteers.