The current global pandemic has created obstacles making life tough and unpredictable for many people. DPLMF has been working alongside Sewa and Food4Life to help combat the after-effects of the economic impact the pandemic has caused. In Dr. Ramachandra Parnerkar’s book, Poornawadi Economics, he explains how our world produces enough food to feed each and every human being, though due to market inefficiencies, that food is not distributed evenly. We observed that during this pandemic, the economic aftermath was producing a greater disparity since people have limited access to food sources due to stores closing. A growing number of families were finding it difficult to put food on their tables and many hospital workers were putting their lives on the line in an effort to defeat the virus. We consider ourselves grateful with what we have and to be able to spare some of our time and money to aid our fellow Georgians who are less fortunate.

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Initially, the group and area we were working in was small, but social media worked its magic to spread word about our project. As our message dispersed, we were getting welcomed responses from many people throughout the country. People from other states began asking if they could donate to our cause, assisting with grocery costs. Other Georgians wanted to support through helping in cooking the meals, so we would order the groceries and have them delivered to their homes. Everything from aluminum foil and pans to oil would be delivered at volunteers’ doorsteps. These volunteers needed to make sure they had enough supplies to make enough meals for up to 80 people at a time. This meant lots of communication and coordination with those who were in charge of ordering ingredients and supplies from grocery stores well ahead of time to ensure smooth operation. After meal preparation, these meals had to be delivered by 11a.m., which meant that meal preparation volunteers began their duties early in the morning in order for driving volunteers to pick up and later drop off at its destination. Our drivers were mostly teenagers, who despite taking classes, were able to help us collect different dishes, transport them to hospitals, or hand them out to our fellow Georgians in need. They had to be mindful in making each delivery safely and cautiously as they came into contact with multiple people.