Free meals in Delhi slums: A woman who feeds poor with her own money

By Deepti Jain
New Delhi [India], May 3 (ANI): From the past few weeks due to countrywide lockdown owing to the outbreak of novel coronavirus, a large number of the poor, migrant labourers who cannot afford a decent meal, lined up in neat rows at Himmatgarh area of New Delhi. Every person, including the aged and the children, wait patiently for their turn to pick a meal box.
Scores of them standing in line have not eaten for days due to imposition of the lockdown, but they still wait for their turn. To assist them, Shahin Hussain, a 35-year-old who lives in South Delhi has been continuously feeding hundreds of destitute and poor each day from her own pocket.
This has been going on from the past 39 days with one volunteer along with Hussain tirelessly running from one corner to the other in slum areas serving the food.
"I saw a lot of people wandering on the streets for food during the lockdown. I am serving around 150-200 people every day in Himmatgarh area and also some other parts of old Delhi from the past 39 days. I am spending all my savings on feeding them. It is costing me Rs 1500-2000 every day. I have one volunteer with me Dinesh who helps me in distributing the food every day," she said while speaking to ANI.
She further told ANI that people from the non-Muslim community residing near her house is helping her in packing the food and also making chapattis for the needy by the raw material provided by her.
"I am happy that non-Muslims are also helping me in this initiative. My Sikh neighbour is helping me in making chapattis for the poor. He makes around 300 chapattis with the ration that I provide them. I am thankful to them that they are coming forward and helping me."
Hussain is now urging the Delhi government and the Centre to provide her with few kilograms of spices and grains so that she can continue to feed the poor in these testing times.
"The situation is becoming more difficult with each passing day as poor are running out of cash. Poor people are without jobs and they do not have a penny to buy a meal. I urge the governments to help me now as I too might run out of money in the next few days. At present, I just require a few kilograms of spices and grains to feed them" she said.
The lockdown which was imposed on March 24, has been extended by the Centre till May 31.(ANI)