Mumbaikars open their heart for iconic dabbawalas

After midday ran a frontpage story on April 14 about how the citys iconic dabbawalas are struggling to feed their families Mumbaikars have extended helping hands Two organisations ndash Mukkti Foundation and Reboot have come forward to help dabbawalas survive the lockdown periodWhile Mukkti Foundation has taken the responsibility of 100 Dabbawalas by helping them buy groceries and other essentials Reboot mdash a startup has initiated an online fundraising campaignSince the nationwide lockdown around 5000 Dabbawalas who are responsible for feeding lakhs of Mumbaikars daily have not been able to feed their ownSmita Thackeray Chairperson of the Mukkti foundation said We were associated in the past with the dabbawalas to spread HIV awareness in the city My son Aishvary read middays story about their hardships and expressed the desire to help them using his personal savings I was more than happy to know the feeling of help and support one sees in the youth of todayReboot a pan India community for women professionals has started a fundraising campaign to help as many dabbawalas as possible Anupama Kapoor Founder of Reboot along with her son Angad has started this fundraiser Angad has also created a video on dabbawalas which they are sharing along with the appeal urging people to help themThe dabbawallas are a part of Mumbais heritage I dont know if any other city in India has such a systematic healthy home food delivery service that feeds two lakh people every day So when I read middays report I felt it was our responsibility to make sure they have enough for their families After speaking with their president I asked my son to make a video and we started a fundraising campaign and am glad to report that donations have started coming in said Anupama KapoorRamdas Karwande president of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers the trust of dabbawalas in Mumbai said It is really overwhelming the way Mumbaikars have come forward It was getting tough for us as we are not really counted under the unorganised sector But our workers are without salary as their is no work and with extension in the lockdown we are unlikely to get our salary for the month of April Until now the association was helping workers by paying their grocery bills But it too has limitations This help has come at the right time5000Total no of dabbawalas who are facing survival issues due to lockdownVoices slugAnupama Kapoor Reboot FounderThe dabbawallas are a part of Mumbais heritage I dont know if any other city in India has such a systematic healthy home food delivery service that feeds two lakh people every day So when I read middays report I felt it was our responsibility to make sure they have enough for their familiesSmita Thackeray Mukkti foundation ChairpersonMy son Aishvary read middays story about their hardships and expressed the desire to help them using his personal savings I was more than happy to know the feeling of help and support one sees in the youth of todayCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news