The second Covid wave has hit the country hard. While millions are battling every day for oxygen, treatment and even food, others have found ways to alleviate the pain and are working relentlessly to raise funds to meet on-the-ground needs.
One such good deed was done by nutraceutical brand, Power Gummies, that recently redirected Rs 35,00,000 for providing medications as well as oxygen refilling service to leading hospitals in New Delhi. Divij Bajaj, CEO and Founder, Power Gummies, says, “Our products are usually delivered to customers in a high-grade manufactured packaging outer boxes and vanity cases, the cost of which was relatively expensive due to the neon printing and high quality material used.
So, we are foregoing the outer packaging of our products in order to redirect funds and resources. This is the only way to emerge victorious in these testing times.” The initiative has partnered with various NGOs diligently serving hospitals and the community at large with refilling services for oxygen cylinders in the city.
Ten days ago, Museo Camera started an initiative called ‘Photographers for Covid Relief’. “My father Aditya Arya and I came up with this idea. We got nine photographers across India and one from Australia to donate five prints each; 100 per cent of the proceeds will go to Covid relief,” shares Mallika Arya, Trustee, India Photo Archive Foundation that initiated Museo Camera.
People can log onto Mutual Aid India, select a cause from the list to donate, choose the print size of the selected photograph, and pay the amount equivalent to the cost to that fundraiser. Arya says, “They need to send us the screenshot of the donation they have made, and the museum will cover the printing and shipping cost to send the prints to people.”
However, they have only received three-four requests. “The museum is a crowd-funded space, so we understand the value of people contributing. We opened in 2019, and we got a lot of support from public. And this is our way of giving back. We might not have the financial resources to contribute but we have a printer to print images, and we are using our resources to ship within India. But we don’t have the resources to ship the prints abroad, so we are requesting the people donating from outside India to gift these prints to their loved ones in India. It will put a smile on someone’s face,” adds Arya.
Body Café in collaboration with Delhi-based Uday Foundation has started an initiative, where proceeds of the brand’s sales will go towards Covid relief through the NGO. “We have pledged our revenues — 80 per cent of our sales — towards Uday Foundation so that funds can be used for oxygen concentrators, wellness kits and food for the homeless.
We cannot and will not resort to marketing gimmicks and claim 100 per cent proceeds will be shared as we have certain costs which are third party such as logistics, tech and payment gateway costs, overhead charges to the packaging staff. The response so far has been decent although we would truly appreciate it if more users came forward,” adds Co-Founder Pooja Karegoudar. They plan to run this campaign till the mid of June.
PayTM Insider has also come up with a fundraiser week that started on Monday. Shreyas Srinivasan, CEO, PayTM Insider says, “We can make a bigger impact if we come together and speak to our fans. Hence, we invited all creators to host events to raise awareness and funds. A 100 per cent of the proceeds will go to the charity they pick. Paytm Insider will be absorbing all streaming costs and internet handling fees for these events.”
The hope is to collect about Rs 50 lakh through the week, and raise funds for over 20+ NGO’s including Hemkunt Foundation, KhaanaChahiye, Theatre Dost, Sewa for Artists, Feeding From Far, Friendicoes and a bunch of other causes listed by Donatekart.
“To mark its culmination, an event called ‘All for One’, where over 50+ artists will lend their support, will be organised. We knew that not everyone would have the bandwidth to join these initiatives by hosting their own full length events, so we developed this event that will include performances, conversations, fun engagements and quizzes. Fans can donate Rs 100 onwards and will be rewarded by artists with various engagements,” adds Srinivasan.