Bengaluru: This Student Is Distributing Free Meal Packets To The Homeless In Lockdown

As the country battles against the deadly virus, the only ray of hope comes through individuals who are stepping up to support others in need.

Shreyas Reddy, a Bangalore-based student, is one of them who has come forward to help the poor during such challenging times. For the past 12 days, he has been handing out free meals to the homeless people in the city.

When the Karnataka government declared its proposal for a lockdown in May 2021, Shreyas realised that the homeless people who depend on small restaurants for food would be left hungry.

He tried contacting the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagra Palike (BBMP). Although, when he didn't hear back, he decided to be their good Samaritan. Instantly, along with his brother, he laid out a plan to arrange for the meals. He contacted his friend, who owned a restaurant, to inquire if he could assist them by cooking the meals, which would offset the labour costs.

Having volunteered during the first phase along with the Government of Karnataka, Shreyas was able to navigate the spaces where he could find homeless men and women. On the next day, he stepped out to deliver packets containing hot-cooked meals for the poor.

He began distributing the packets in the areas around Marathahalli, CV Raman Nagar and Old Airport Road.

His friends and family stepped forward to volunteer and donate. While some of them volunteered to cook the meals, others chipped in the resources and increased manpower.

What began as a one-man initiative has grown into a team of eight that distributes 300-350 meals daily. Once they handed them the food packets, a warm smile along with a question came up, " Would you feed us every day?", shares Shreyas.

Now, Shreyas aims to cover the remaining areas of Bangalore along with his friends and other volunteers so that no homeless person goes hungry, even in these difficult times. His #BeyondZeroHunger initiative aims to feed everybody in the community and close the gap.

''I believe that doing what is right is the most important thing and should always be a priority and right now, what is important is to be there for people who need us as a society the most. I think any change or impact is always created by the smallest of the steps," Shreyas told The Logical Indian.

Shreyas feels good after helping others during such difficult times. Not only, it makes him forget about his own hardships but it also motivates him to keep continuing with his volunteering services.

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never volunteered," says Shreyas

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