Media Release
Mangaluru, Jun 3: ICYM Mangalore diocesan youth have taken up the initiative to distribute food to eliminate hunger and assist families during the pandemic lockdown. The title of the mission is 'Mission Share and Care - 2021', a campaign aimed at eradicating hunger in Mangaluru.
On May 2, 2021, Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, bishop of Mangaluru, inaugurated and blessed this mission. He also appreciated the ICYM Central Council youth for taking up such initiatives and guaranteed his complete support towards this mission. Many ICYM youth came forward to help and volunteer amid this challenging time.
The youth volunteers start packing food at 10.30 every morning and then set to distribute food by 11.30, in the streets of Mangaluru. The mission is to reach out to the people who aren’t easily located. ICYM youth, therefore, go in search of people who are in the interior streets and share with them food and water. Very often this is the only meal that they get during these difficult times. The youth spend 2 to 3 hours each day on streets searching for such people. An average of 200 packets are distributed on a daily basis.
The ICYM youth have already distributed 5750 meals, 4500 1ltr water bottles, 2500 masks in the past 32 days of the mission. On an average, the food packets costs Rs 60 per meal, not including the water and masks that they also distribute.
There is also the distribution of food kits to people whose financial conditions are very poor. More than 500 kits are distributed in and around Mangaluru city. The kit consists of rice, wheat, sugar, tea powder, sambar powder, oil, Bombay rava, onion, salt, green gram, dosa rice, dal, beaten rice and chana.The expense per kit is Rs 800.
This mission is running smoothly under the leadership of Leon Loyd Saldanha, president of the ICYM Mangalore diocese and with the guidance of Fr Ashwin Cardoza, director of the ICYM Mangalore diocese.
We are grateful to all the ICYM youth for their selfless service who contribute their time and energy without any expectation. We salute them for the service that they render during this pandemic time. We are also grateful to our donors, for it is through their generous contribution this mission has been a success.