More charitable institutions and philanthropists have chipped in with ample support towards improving the lives of the people hit by COVID-19, and the resultant lockdown.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which has been rendering yeoman service by providing food to the stranded pilgrims, migrant workers, and shelterless poor everyday, has now announced to extend the gesture up to May 3 and also to other districts.
70,000 food packets everyday
The temple management has so far distributed over 25 lakh food packets from March 28 onwards to eliminate hunger of the needy. The food prepared at the TTD employees’ canteen used to be packed into a whopping 70,000 packets and distributed in the morning and evening among the needy. After the TTD administrative building came under the red zone, the kitchen activity was shifted to Srinivasam Rest House, Tiruchanur Annaprasadam Complex and SPW College. Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal announced that an allocation of ₹ 13 crore (₹ 1 crore to every district) had been made from Srivari Nitya Annaprasadam Trust to provide food packets to displaced people and daily wage earners and appealed to District Collectors to utilise the same.
Tirupati MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, who has been monitoring the supply and distribution of TTD’s food packets among the poor, handed over 10 tonnes of rice donated by a merchant M. Kishore Kumar for the cause on Thursday. Mr. Reddy personally donated six tonnes on Wednesday. “As the TTD feeds thousands of shelterless and destitute people, it is our responsibility to ensure the supply chain remains intact,”, he said.
CSR at work
Meanwhile, as part of its corporate social responsibility, TVS Motor Company has taken up public outreach initiatives throughout Andhra Pradesh to contain COVID-19 induced hunger. The company’s dealers Keshvin Automotives (Tirupati), Aparna Automotives (Kurnool) and Godavari Motors (Kadiyam) are supplying food grains to low-wage employees, feeding local community near the railway station and providing assorted vegetables to the public.
