“Is this for Kerala?” Buy anything in bulk in the city, be it medicines, clothes, or ready-to-eat food, this is what the sales people ask you. Kerala is on everyone’s mind right now. Which is why everyone wants to do their bit. A textile showroom saleswoman, who has no idea who we are, gives us a massive discount when she finds out that we’re buying relief material. At another shop, where we stop for towels, the owner offers everything at the cost price. Here’s help if you too are looking for reliable volunteers to reach out to the flood-affected. Cbe4Kerala This initiative by C4TN, a group of 60 NGOs from the city, has already sent 12 truckloads of materials (worth more than ?700,000) to Wayanad, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Kozhikode. Prasanna Kumar, a volunteer, says, “We have set up 11 collection centres across the city. People can drop the material at these centres. Our volunteers will collect it and pack it before we send it in trucks provided by Truck Taxi. Two of our volunteers also go in the vehicle and give us updates on the essential items required.” The collected materials are packed into kits. “We have three types of kits: a toiletry one with toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, sanitary napkin, comb, coconut oil, towel, torch, mosquito repellent cream and basic medicines. The clothing kit has clothes and bedsheets. The cooking and dining kit has cooking vessels with lids, plates, tumbles, spoons, rice, wheat powder, rava, vermicelli, pulses, cooking oil, sugar and tea powder.” CGS Manion of C4TN says that the focus will slowly shift from relief to rehabilitation over time. “This will help people get back to normalcy sooner.” Collection Points; Do Wide Exim, Trichy Road (9894623413); Donnai Biriyani House, Peelamedu (9894623413); Area 641, Amman Kulam Road, Lakshmi Mills (9894623413); Saravana Complex, Bharathiar Road, Papanaickenpalayam (9600571717); 41, West Lokamanya Street, RS Puram ( 9585550005); Sumangali Jewellers, Town Hall and Cross Cut Road Branches (9585550005); P&P Complex, Sivanandapuram (9566538905); Amminis Sweet Shop, Saibaba Colony (9629300200); Radio City Office, Trichy Road (9791907730); and Shree Anandhas Hotel, Sundarapuram (8015714790). For more details call: 9677700081, 9894623413 Dare to Escape Raghavendra Karthik of Dare to Escape game area is collecting umbrellas, sanitary napkins, footwear, pillows, sweaters, tissue paper, sleeping mats, glucose powder, underwear, bleaching powder, soaps, antiseptic lotions, mosquito coils, candles and lighters to be sent to Palakkad. “I have a colleague from Kerala. This is what I can do to support people there. We have just started the collection and plan to send the items by next week.” They have local people who have volunteered to help them pack the material. The materials can be dropped at Dare to Escape, Ramachandea Road, RS Puram. Contact 9789731012 for details Truck Byte A Bit R Saju’s Food Truck Byte A Bit has become one of the collection points for Kerala relief ever since he shared an appeal for help on FB and through WhatsApp. “Help has poured in. My customers and friends and their friends are bringing relief material by the car load and dropping it off. I did not expect that so many people would respond,” he says. Saju’s food truck business completes a year around this time and, while he had planned celebrations, things took a different turn. “With the unfortunate situation in Kerala, I thought it would mean so much more if I could help in some way.” Transport companies, private citizens and organisations have all come together to send whatever they can to the flood affected. “Many people have been offering money but I am reluctant to take that as one is not sure where the money will end up. So I requested them to buy relief materials instead. For those who could not get around to buying products, I bought whatever I could with their money.” Drop-off Point: Food Truck stationed near HP Petrol Bunk in front of Andhra Bank, Kamarajar Road. For details contact: 8883666667 or 8754664410 or 9902515398 Required items Immediate: Clothes, bedsheets, blankets, undergarments, water bottles, basic medicines, sanitary napkins, toothbrush and paste, candles, towels, baby milk powders, diapers, soaps, hair oil, biscuits, rice, utensils and slippers Future needs: Kitchen utensils, grocery items, kitchen knives, scissors, vegetable baskets, storage items, school bags, stationery like pens, pencils, geometry, calculators, brooms, mops, bleaching powder, washing powder, door mats, phenyl, scrubbers, ropes, toilet brushes, emergency tool kit, sewing kits For money contributions Those who wish to contribute money can transfer it to the account of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore State Bank of India, Peelamedu Branch, Coimbatore, Savings Account number 30047335316, IFSC Code: SBIN0007231 “Receipts will be provided for all the transaction made. With the money we buy materials necessary for the kits”, says Prasanna

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