HYDERABAD: For the last few days due to Covid-19 breakdown, several people, who are staying alone or are in their twilight years don’t have access to meals. With so many restaurants and tiffin centres shut down it really has hit people who depend on food delivery.
But there are some good Samaritans in the city to whom people can reach to get food. Meet 53-year-old Venkat Murali, who for the past five years has been running the NGO ‘No Food Waste’ and has been distributing cooked meals for free to several in need. He says, “We cook meals at home. We have seven volunteers who prepare the food and also distribute the packets to different locations.” He himself goes out to deliver whenever anyone reaches out to the helpline.
The food packets consist of rice, daal, curry, chutney, sambhar, and curd. And no he doesn’t charge a single penny for the food or the delivery. They have been delivering these food parcels all across the city. And they can be contacted at any time of the day.
Venkat informs, “In Hi-Tec city we delivered eight meals yesterday, and six meals in Jubilee Hills the day before, and four meals in Somajiguda.” They use disposable food-grade packets. Recently they got a call from an old age home named ‘Amma Nana’ at Chouttuppal with 370 senior citizens. “We delivered 350 kg of rice, 70 kg of daal and 10 kg of atta along with salt, sugar, oil, and spices, ” he says.
So how did he get into this? Venkatesh was earlier associated with Robin Hood Army, but took a break for two years and started his own food distribution NGO. He’s into software business and operates from Srinagar Colony. Ask him about his roots and apt comes the reply, “I am a pakka Hyderabadi. Born and brought up in this city.” Truly,Hyderabad needs more Hyderabadis like him.
‘No Food Waste’ helpline: 98660 06269