by Father Augustine Pereira for BISMumbai

AS the COVID-19 lockdown continues, the Mumbai Salesians managing the St. Anne's Parish in Ahmednagar City, have till date, reached out to 120 poor families with grocery kits. In Phase I, after a survey-assessment that showed the situation to be critical, 40 families in the 05 villages of Walki, Khandala, Nimgaon Waga,Bhoire Pathar and Dhotre were reached out.

In Phase II, the Salesians along with the parishioners undertook an outreach distribution for poor needy parishioners and other families in Ahmednagar City. A few families residing in the slums were also helped. The distribution of these kits, containing rice, sugar, wheat, edible oil, pulses, groundnut, tea powder and bathing/washing soaps, will continue as long as there is a felt need, as Ahmednagar City has a large population dependent on daily wages and farm work for survival.

Braving the strict lockdown rules, and adhering to all the directives issued by the Ahmednagar civic administration, parishioners volunteered to undertake this act of charity, in these difficult times. This outreach was possible thanks to the Salesian Province of Bombay [INB], which partly funded this initiative.