Nutrition has been the mainstay of food service being extended by Vanavil Trust, a not-for-profit organisation working in Nagapattinam, to people living near the district’s two bus stands and to those in home quarantine.
The trust began providing lunch for the destitute a few weeks ago, but soon found that there were also many patients who were not eating nutritious food while in home isolation
“Food is an important part of recovery, and being ill, doctors told us that they were unable to prepare it,” P. Revathi, founder, Vanavil Trust, told The Hindu.
The trust approached a estaurant in Nagapattinam town, which agreed to prepare food for the patients for a fee. “We purchase meals from the restaurant and our team of volunteers deliver the food to the patient’s doorstep,” she said.
A helpline — 9342318637 — set up by the trust can be contacted by those requiring food while in quarantine. Both lunch and dinner would be delivered to them for 15 days for free. “There are some who are required to extend their quarantine period and we consider their requests too,” she said.
Ten volunteers from the trust have been pressed for food delivery, while around 50 are involved in fundraising. “We consult a doctor who suggests a suitable diet for the patients and we ensure that it is provided," she added.
Ms. Revathi took pride in the fact that most of the funds raised for the food delivery service came from people in Nagapattinam town. “This is a service for the people of Nagapattinam by the people of Nagapattinam and it is wonderful to see people coming forward to help.”
For the food distributed to the destitute, a psychologist has allowed the trust to use her home kitchen. “We purchase groceries and she helps cook food and distribute it too,” she said.
