This Onam, the young men’s group of the Kiwis Club, a youth club that has been taking part in charity activities in the town for some years now, decided to celebrate the festival in a way they will never forget.
In the previous years, the festival was celebrated in old-age homes and orphanages.
This time, the club members literally stepped out into the streets and celebrated it with the destitute.
ADVERTISEMENT
Providing meals
For the past one year, the club has been providing one meal a day to the people who have made the streets their home, Zanim Muhammed Hashim, chief patron, Kiwis Club, said.
A packet of food each from the houses of at least 25 members of the club each day — this was how the free meal project was worked out.
ADVERTISEMENT
Contributions
The club, which has nearly 3,000 members in the town, also gets contributions from 800 members across the Gulf countries for its charity activities. On Saturday, the nearly 40 active members of the club in the town zeroed in on as many destitute people in the streets, brought them together, gave them a bath, and provided them new clothes, followed by a sumptuous ‘sadya’ at BEMP High School here on Saturday.
Municipal chairperson Amina Maliyekkal; councillor C.O.T. Naseer who is a member of the club; Sanjay, president of the club; and Muhammad Shuhaib, secretary, were among those present.
Moving gesture
A permanent solution was not within their reach, but their gesture was a simple, small way of showing that people cared, the club members said.