In a bid to help the needy while ensuring physical distancing in the wake of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown, a bakery owner in Koodal Nagar in Madurai city has kept a carton stocked with loaves of bread outside the shop, so that those in need can pick up a bread loaf for free.
A.R.M. Ramasamy, the owner of A.R.M. Bakery and Sweets, said that every morning fresh bread loaves are kept inside the cardboard box and they are replenished once the box gets empty.
“Every day around 50 persons come and pick up the bread loaves, when the shop is open between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m.,” he said.
The practice was started a week back and would continue until May 3, he added. Other bakery products are sold inside the shop to customers who can afford to buy them.
“Due to the current crisis, it is disheartening to see many children, elderly and homeless people starving. So, we thought we will contribute our bit by offering bread loaves for free, as a bread loaf would help someone to feed themselves for a meal. But, at the same time we want to ensure that there is no physical contact and hence we fill up the cardboard box with bread loaves,” he said.
Mr. Ramasamy also added that in a kind gesture, few customers paid and bought bread loaves from his shop and placed them inside the cardboard box.
