Volunteers deliver food to pandemic-affected families

Latha Dubay, who is feeding patients in the city, cooks lunch and dinner, and gets them delivered to the homes of infected persons free of cost. Latha provides around 40-45 meals daily. Recalling what motivated her to take up the initiative, she said many of her friends who were infected by the virus could not have spicy hotel food and they had to eat nutritious food. “So, I came up with this plan to cook and deliver food to them. Initially, I was sending food only to three-four people. But now I am getting more than 40-45 calls per day.”

Latha uses food delivery apps to deliver the food packets, and also bears the cost of the food delivery. “I don’t expect the patients to come out of their houses and pay,” she said. She recalled a recent incident where a man who runs a catering company called her asking for food for his mother and also brother’s family as he is not able to provide for them. “In these times of distress, why can’t families step in to help one another,” Latha said.

Another home chef who has taken up such a service in this time of crisis is Neha and her mother, who cook for COVID patients under home quarantine. Earlier, they were cooking only for relatives. But when coronavirus infection spiked and many people started to test positive, the group got expanded. Now, they are cooking for at least 40 people and delivering it to patients at their doorstep.

“We provide three customised meals a day, which is delivered through Zomato, Swiggy and Dunzo. There are also a few who collect their food from our place itself,” said Neha, who resides at Purasaiwalkam.