Some of our Emergency Relief efforts in Nashik
By Rushi Vyas
This post was originally published on August 19, 2019.
Heavy rains and the release of water from Gangapur dam into the Godavari river recently caused a flood in some areas of Maharashtra’s Nashik district — nearly 9 feet of water. The problem escalated to such heights that the collector declared a holiday. There was a disruption in train schedules, highways were closed, houses collapsed and reaching the victims affected by this disaster became a challenge.
Feeding India’s volunteers a.k.a. Hunger Heroes reached the site to help thousands of families by providing aid. “We visited the rural areas like Saikheda and Chandori which were affected by the recent floods and we noticed that there were almost 1000 families who still didn’t have anything to eat and were starving since almost a week” says Satpal, one of the most active volunteers in the mission. “We had to cross villages with boats, but once we got there, all I could see was the sigh of relief and smiles of the people in the villages…”
Our Hunger Heroes not only provided the victims with food, but also with daily essentials sourced from the Feeding India Bangalore team — to for help to nearly 15,000 locals and around 180 commuters who sought shelter in the town hall. Besides that, our Hunger Heroes managed to gather healthy food for nearly 600 people and encourage local donations, within just 4 hours!
Apart from donating food packets and essentials, Vandana, a Feeding India Hunger Hero, took the initiative to inform the locals about the hygiene factors that they need to take care of. This included explaining to young girls the importance of using sanitary pads and hygienic disposal of the same. “I didn’t mind missing Raksha Bandhan for I believe that being there (for them) was much more important than being with my brother at that time… I will still go there every week. There is no joy as great as the joy of serving those in need. This is something that Feeding India has given me the opportunity to experience,” she adds.
