YSS Reaches Out to the Poor and Needy During Covid-19 Lockdown
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads rapidly across international borders, many countries around the world started implementing lockdown in order to contain it. The Government of India declared a countrywide lockdown from March 25, 2020. And the lockdown mode is expected to continue until the first week of May 2020.
This unprecedented situation has affected everyone, but most of all it has impacted those who are living on the edge of poverty — daily wage labourers, vendors, beggars, and the old and infirm. Soon after the lockdown was imposed, Yogoda Satsanga Society of India started supplying food and sanitary items to these segments of the society. At the same time, we appealed to all devotees to come forward and donate for this humanitarian cause.
Devotees Respond to the Appeal With Their Hearts
Dakshineswar: Swami Achyutanandaji with volunteers for distribution of ration to 300 families in slums
No sooner did we appeal, donations started coming in. Devotees opened up their hearts in an outpouring of love, compassion, and generosity for their needy brothers and sisters.
With these generous contributions, YSS ashrams have been able to supply food and sanitary items to several thousand families in those areas where our ashrams are located. YSS has been consulting local authorities to identify the needy, and partnering with other NGOs such as Zomato’s Feeding India and local clubs to reach the relief material to the afflicted.
YSS Kendras and Mandalis Rise to the Occasion
Noida: Dry ration distribution in slums around Noida ashram
YSS was hesitating to request its Kendras and Mandalis to undertake Covid-19 relief work, as it might be difficult for them to get volunteers to do this work during the state of lockdown. However, without even having to ask, many YSS Kendras and Mandalis enthusiastically came forward to do whatever they could to help the poor in neighbouring areas. They put “love into action” by caring for the poor in their own neighbourhood!
Noida: Police help in distribution of relief material supplied by Noida ashram
In addition to the poor, YSS has been supporting the police and doctors in whichever ways possible. YSS Noida Ashram has been supplying drinking water bottles, fruit juice, and masks to the police personnel. YSS Dhyana Kendra — Coimbatore donated protective gear to several hundred doctors in their area. Bathing and washing soaps have been given to nearly 2,700 families in the villages near Ranchi.
On this page, we share with you some of these snapshots of “seva” which we are receiving from YSS ashrams, kendras, and mandalis from across the nation. The service being done by the hundreds of devotees also attracted the attention of newspapers and bloggers, who carried the news on their media — both printed and digital. We share some of those reports as well.
We thank YSS devotees and all the partnering NGOs for their contribution in the form of their time, resources, financial help, and above all their hearts’ love in lighting a lamp of hope in the hearts of those who are in the grip of this crisis.
It is our heartfelt prayer that God and Gurus keep all of you in their all-encompassing aura of protection and love.
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