Friends spend Rs 3,500 daily to feed beggars in Srikakulam
SRIKAKULAM: Shocked that a beggar refused Rs 50 and asked for food instead, Palasa resident Harish Kumar Sreekanth decided to feed the homeless and hungry. The next day, he and two friends started distributing food to beggars in and around the town. They have been doing this for 10 days now, and spend `3,500 every day to feed nearly 70 people.
With temples and hotels shut, and movement of the public restricted due to the voluntary lockdown, Sreekanth and his friends Chapara Venu Gopal and N Sreenivas promised the homeless they would continue to feed them till normalcy is restored.
“Since we won’t be able to continue this for long, we asked our friends and others to take up it as a challenge to contribute food for a day instead of celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries,” said Sreekanth, who works for a private company. A few people have come forward and donated food since then, he added.
“Initially, we started giving food to the beggars in Palasa town, and later extended the service to the regions surrounding the town. Keeping in mind the need for a protein-rich diet in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, we provide good-quality food to the beggars. We regularly give each one egg curry with two eggs,” Sreekanth said.