The year of the Samaritans

As the year comes to an end, we take a look at some of the young volunteers who forged ahead to make 2014 a better time for those in need

December 26, 2014 06:58 pm | Updated 06:58 pm IST - Hyderabad

Robin Hood’s volunteers spread warmththrough their blanket drive. Photo: G. Ramakrishna

Robin Hood’s volunteers spread warmththrough their blanket drive. Photo: G. Ramakrishna

2014 has been a year of many changes and new beginnings. There was the bifurcation of the State and several new trends arising as a result. But 2014 has also been the year the city saw many youngsters take charge and come forth to do their bit for society. From conducting weekly food distribution drives for the homeless to giving them warm blankets to survive the cold winter months and even image makeovers to help them land a job to keep them afloat, city youngsters have been taking their roles as Good Samaritans very seriously.

Take for example the Youngistaan Foundation. Founded in 2012. The group started off by buying food from restaurants and distributing it to the homeless. By 2013 they were cooking the food themselves every Sunday before packaging and distributing them. But these were merely conversation starters as Arun Daniel Yellamaty, founder and president of Youngistaan puts it.

“We began talking to the homeless people to assess what their needs really were. We wanted to do something beyond feeding them. Our conversations with them led us to discover that many of them were turned away by prospective employers due to their appearance or medical conditions,” he explains. 2014 therefore saw them begin their Transformers project. Volunteers now go around the city and help people on the streets avail basic facilities like a change of clothes, a shower, a hair cut or a shave before encouraging them to find a job apart from medical assistance. And when barbers shunned the homeless, Youngistaan volunteers themselves gave the homeless a trim or shave.

Another new wave of volunteers swept across the city — The Robin Hood Army. These youngsters sporting green T-shirts have been spotted collecting food from many restaurants and distributing them to the homeless.

“Social media is what attracts volunteers to our cause. Today, three months after we launched, we have a large number of volunteers on board and we are able to split up and cater to the homeless in Secunderabad, Banjara Hills and Madhapur areas apart from others. All one needs to dedicate is an hour a week,” says Aditya Gupta, founder, Hyderabad chapter of Robin Hood Army. Keeping the weather conditions in mind they have also launched a Blanket Drive to help add some warmth in the city.

Working along similar lines is the GlowTide Society launched by Mustafa Hashmi, an engineering student. Hashmi who moved to the city to study had his epiphany when he saw a man drink from the sewer.

Appalled, Hashmi realised that he had to do something for people in his own small way. With a few friends and a vehicle they began approaching corporate offices to donate the leftover food from their cafeterias so they could in turn help feed the poor. GlowTide Society today addresses the needs of several homeless people in the city and has tied up with several corporates for the cause.

The recent Hud Hud cyclone that ravaged the better part of coastal Andhra Pradesh also saw several young professionals and students in the city join hands to send relief material to those affected by the cyclone.

Right from urging friends and family to chip in with food and clothes for the victims to arranging for transport and reaching out to volunteers in the affected cities and town through social media, these city do-gooders went all out to ensure that help reached the victims on time.

The now 600-volunteer strong Youngistaan Foundation also began a branch in Bhopal and launched a third project in the city that has them visiting 10 orphanages and government schools in the city to extend help by tutoring children and helping them enjoy extra curricular activities like music, art and sports.

Whatever the projects these volunteers have undertaken, this past year has been a step by these Samaritans to make the world a better place for the lives they touch.

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