SP(I) run community kitchen in Dubagga, Lucknow
With the extension of lockdown till 3rd May 2020, the hardships of the daily wagers, migrant workers and low income communities across the country are only going to increase. With no income, no savings, and sometimes a lot of debt, these people are suffering from severe hunger and starvation. This lockdown has become the worst nightmare for the poor.
Community Kitchens for the poor
When the lockdown started on 25th March, SP(I) had started distributing dry ration and vegetables for free or at subsidised rates. However, we soon realised that only through community kitchens would we be able to feed more people and reach those who are actually in need. We made a modest start with four community kitchens in Lucknow on 5th April. In 11 days, we had doubled our kitchens to 8 across Lucknow and then thanks to our donors, we doubled again to 16 kitchens in just 5 days. We are now feeding over 3500 meals a day and still continue to receive demands for new kitchens.
The community that is in need is involved in the cooking process and SP(I) volunteers are available to provide financial and monitoring assistance. Please see below a summary of our funding and impact so far.
| S. No | Key Metrics | Unit | Amount |
| 1 | Community members provided with free ration or vegetables | Nos. | 11140 |
| 2 | Community members provided with subsidised ration | Nos. | 7870 |
| 3 | Community members provided with free meals at Community Kitchen | Nos. | 25550 |
| 4 | Other community members reached | Nos. | 313 |
| 5 | Total cost of community kitchens | INR | 402,126 |
| 6 | Total community members reached | Nos. | 44,873 |
| 7 | Total donations received | INR | 686,330 |
| 8 | Total expenses | INR | 504,301 |
| 9 | Cash in Hand | INR | 182,029 |
Data as on 22nd April 2020
Other initiatives by Socialist Party (India) · Special Mention: (a) Special mention to Dr. Nuzhat Husain, Head Department of Pathology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences Lucknow is contributing substantially in-kind towards all three kitchens in Gomti Nagar.
(b) Ms Bina Khanijow, retired teacher of City Montessori School, Lucknow who is physically challenged and is fighting a legal case against CMS for her pending gratuity payment, has made an in-kind donation of dry ration as well.
(c) Microsoft employees Deep Pande and Shweta Sharma contributed Rs. 1 lakh for the relief work, our single biggest donation yet.
· Ration Cards: We have submitted many lists of people across Lucknow and other districts who did not have ration cards and hence were unable to benefit from the PDS system.The Hardoi district has started taking action for some of our ~20 applications and ration cards are being made for them currently.
· Relief Funds: In addition to ration cards, we are also trying to provide assistance to poor in receiving benefits of the govt. scheme to provide Rs. 1000 in their bank accounts. One of them has already received the money in her account, while three others are under process.
· Demand for sanitary napkins: We have received requests for sanitary napkins and baby feed from some women across these communities. We are exploring opportunities to provide these to them.
Upcoming Initiatives:
(i) Within the next couple of days, we will be launching 2-3 community kitchens in Varanasi.
(ii) We will be distributing dry ration to over 80 families in Bihar to help them till the end of the lockdown period.
How can you contribute?
(a) Donate:
SP (I) is looking to raise funds to expand its reach to other cities and to continue the community kitchens at least till the end of the lockdown. All the funds will be used exclusively for providing essential supplies and food to those at the bottom of the pyramid, who are worst affected by this global pandemic.
SP (I) strives to be extremely transparent in its disclosure of information about the funds raised, expenses and the list of beneficiaries. You can find the detailed information in the links provided below.
You could make a financial contribution to the following account:
A/c Name: Raini Fruit Company,
A/c no.: 104705002387,
IFSC: ICIC0001047
Or
UPI to : rainifruitcompany@icici
Please send an email to ashaashram@yahoo.com with a screenshot of the transaction receipt in case you do make a donation.
(b) You could support the initiative in the non-financial ways:
· Provide raw food items or cooked food packets or even rotis.
· Deliver any relief items to our office in Chowk, Lucknow,
· You could also volunteer to work from home. Please write to ashaashram@yahoo.com to learn more about these opportunities.
Contact us to learn more:
Lucknow: Salman Raini – 9335281976, 9198379619
Varanasi: Vallabhacharya Pandey , 9415256848
Kannauj: Shahid Ansari – 8181944040
Barabanki: Amit Maurya – 9793125579
Delhi: Syed Tehseen Ahmad – 9654079528
Kolkata: Sagarika Banerjee – 9903740458
Hardoi: Bhagwandeen – 6387230761
Sitapur: Munnalal – 9452755765
Bihar: Gautam Kumar Pritam – 9162064070
Click here to see our detailed income and expense sheet along with the number of beneficiaries. Click here to see the names of some of our beneficiaries. For more stories, follow our Facebook Page here.
