"We wanted to wrap some comfort into the meals" - Couple feed hungry in neighbourhood

Chennai: The imposition of 144, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, induced a pathetic situation where millions of migrant workers and daily wage labourers were left homeless and without food or water. Fuelled by the passion to serve the needy despite all odds, Twyla David and Clement Rajkumar, a couple from Perambur, began serving over 120 home-made meals per day to the hungry around them. “The stories of hunger shook our core and we immediately chose to look around our neighbourhood to see who needed help and whether we could use our resources at home to help cook meals for them. We couldn’t take Covid away, so we wanted to deliver hope, love, and grace,” says Twyla.

This social manoeuvre has been eradicating hunger on the streets of Perambur, including people sheltered at Central Railway Station, since the beginning of April 2020. This outreach actively proliferated from 25 meals per day to over 13,300 meals between April and October. The couple surprised 100 children by giving them gifts in June. Their funds are met by their Learning and Development firm, “The Woven Place,” and a part of their financial needs are also sponsored by their generous friends.

The couple work during the day, cook after 4.00 pm and distribute the food by 7.30 pm every day. They sprint through their daily routines and manage their working hours to gear up for this new task. They pack the meals with proteins and salads and also ensure that they come up with different recipes each day.” We wanted to wrap some comfort into the meals,” says Twyla David. Moreover, she compliments her husband’s relentless support in this marathon cooking journey.

“From domestic to industrial burner, to cutting kilos of vegetables, cooking in huge vessels and learning to pack food and deliver on time, it was all new and it was also a way to effectively use our resources. Our home’s balcony is now a community kitchen. This was the least we could do for the people who have built our cities and help us live the life we do every day,” she explains.

Clement Rajkumar opines that a social service need not be institutional or government-aided but, as individuals, we are obliged to do our part for one another. The duo had no expertise initially in cooking, but the pandemic plunged them into discovering new abilities to serve the community.

Editors: Shanmuga Priya,Neha Peter