A family in Vellore has come together to help provide food for COVID-19 patients free of cost in the municipal corporation. With the help of volunteers, the family has been distributing lunch and breakfast to patients in home quarantine.
Meet K. Ravishankar, 35, government veterinarian. He, along with his wife R. Sandhya and sister R. Sivagami, have been preparing lunch and dinner for 100 COVID-19 patients in Vellore for the past few weeks. “I run a school for special children in Pennathur. So, I have always wanted to serve people. Hence, we decided to pitch in during the pandemic and help the patients,” said Dr. Ravishankar.
He has been spending his own money for the initiative. “I spend at least ₹5,000 a day on the food and petrol allowance for volunteers. I have split Vellore into Katpadi, Sathuvachari and Vellore. For each route, I have three volunteers. When patients send a message, after seeing my social media advertisements, I send the respective volunteer to deliver food. The meal is simple and comprises rice, sambar, and rasam. For dinner, we provide tiffin items like chappati or idly,” said Ms. Sandhya.
The patients are happy. “In some houses, the entire family had tested positive. Getting free food during such a period is of great help. We wanted to give money, but Dr. Ravishankar does not accept,” said a patient.
Apart from this, the family has pooled in money and purchased three oxygen concentrators. They lend them to patients for free for a week. “Recently, we got a call from Vellore around 11.30 p.m. A 75-year-old woman was having severe dyspnoea and was suspected of having COVID-19 . We rushed to the spot immediately with an oxygen concentrator. The pulse oximeter showed oxygen levels at 83. We provided oxygen to her and the value increased,” said Dr. Ravishankar.