Amidst Curfew-Lockdown, Ferozepur- based NGO Mayank Foundation swung into action to help the society on many fronts

Amidst Curfew-Lockdown, Ferozepur- based NGO Mayank Foundation swung into action to help the society on many fronts

The essence of life is to serve others and do good -Mayank Foundation

Ferozepur, June 1, 2020

As the Corona pandemic forced the government to enforce nation- wide lockdown on March 22, *Ferozepur- based NGO Mayank Foundation * swung into action to help the society on many fronts. On the very next day of the lockdown, its members stepped out of the safety zones of their homes and worked tirelessly to accomplish multiple tasks of public welfare during these tough times. The organisation joined hands with the district administration to serve the people of the city and undertook many responsibilities on its own to reach out to the poor dwellers of shanties and slums. Ranging from distributing ration to the needy, it provided sanitizers, soaps, masks and even sanitary pads to the poor women. Here is the list of the various activities that the NGO performed during this unprecedented shutdown.

*Distribution of Dry Ration *
A total of 1500 families were provided with dry ration. The packings of ration comprised 5 kgs wheat, 5 kg rice, 1 kg dal, 1 kg ghee, 1 kg salt, 4 soap bars and biscuits. Commencing from the first week of the lockdown, the supply of ration was continued till May 15, 2020.

Served packets of cooked food
As many as 31025 packets of cooked food were served in various localities starting from April 1st to 18th. In collaboration of some other local organisations, a community kitchen was set up where the food was cooked and packed by the members of the foundation before being ferried to different locations of the town for 18 consecutive days.

Distributing masks, safety gears and soft drinks to cops, labourers and sanitary workers
Besides face masks, protective face shields and sanitizers were distributed to the sanitary workers of Ferozepur Municipality, labourers and the police cops deployed at various localities of the city. Bottles of soft drinks to the tunes of 6000 were also distributed among them to combat the seeping heat.
Honouring cops, fire- fighters and Sanitation workers

To acknowledge the services rendered by cops and the sanitary workers for the society, the foundation honoured city cops and sanitation workers. Fire fighters were also honoured on the occasion of World Firefighters’ Day on May 6.

Distribution of sanitary pads, toothpastes and soaps

To cater to the personal hygiene of the poor women during the lockdown, sanitary napkins were distributed among the need women in various localities of the city. The foundation also joined hands with Indian Dental Association to supply 500 packs of toothpaste and 1000 soap bars among the poor citizens.

A visit to Blinds Home

The inmates of the Blind Home, Ferozepur, were provided with ration, masks and sanitizers. The members of the association spent quality time with them and listened to the problems being faced by them during this lockdown period. The visit was carried out on May 18.

*Mayank Sharma Memorial Online painting competition *

An annual feat of the foundation, the third edition of the Mayank Sharma Painting Competition was an online event, which garnered a huge support and response from the participants the world over. Over 6600 budding painters from foreign shores and many parts of India took part in the competition held on March 17. The results were announced on May 21 and more than 100 prizes were also given away and online certificates were also distributed to the winners.

The Pandemic made the organisation more resolute to work for social cause

The pioneer role played by the organisation during the corona pandemic instilled a new vigour of confidence among its members who are now more resolute to work for the society at various fronts. Persistent efforts to alleviate the agony of the people combating the lockdown helped the organisation forged an affectionate bond with various section of the society. It was an enriched experience for many of the new members that how to work for others in a unified and collaborative manner to reach out to maximum of people. The organisation is looking forward to take up more tasks of social welfare. For us, it is high time to pay back to society, as service to humanity is service to the Lord…..

Remember – volunteers don’t necessarily have the time – they have the heart
Elizabeth Andrews