by Father Nelson Mudaliar for BISMumbai

MumbaiSalesians in Ahmednagar met in June for their bimonthly regional meeting. The main discussion was 'how to help the poorest families of the parishes', since the COVID-19 lockdown continued to be extended since March. Also a large number of families are dependent on daily wage earnings for sustenance. It was decided to request financial contributions from the parishioners and other well-wishers, to help the poorest needy families of St. Anne’s Parish; St. John Bosco Bhingar and Don Bosco Savedi.

The drive began with posters designed in English and Marathi. These were sent via social media to all the parishioners and well-wishers. The response was enthusiastic, adn with additional support from the province, thanks to the Provincial Economer, food-grains were procured for relief distribution. The 03 Parish Priests identified the needy families and a list of 210 families was drawn up. The food-grains were stored in Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra (BGVK). St. Anne’s youth helped in packing and preparing the kits for distribution. The kit contained rice, wheat, pulses, sugar, tea-powder, masala packets and oil. The kits were later distributed by the communities.

It was a good experience and exposure for the young people who helped out in the relief distribution.