This is Om Harikant Khanderwal. the eight-years-old Om hails from Lalbaug Kumbharwada, a locality in Vadodara, Gujarat. Young Om and his family were beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra’s COVID-19 Relief Feeding during the lockdown. 

Om’s father is a migrant worker who travels with his family of five. With the lockdown, the family lost their source of income, and they had no money to buy rations to cook. Om says, “My father is not able to go to work and thus we have no money. Our life has changed. Earlier in vacation I used to have fun with friends but now I can’t go out, I just stay at home and wait for the meal. I will pray to God that such an illness will never happen again in the future.”

When asked if he enjoyed the fresh meals served, he said, ‘We get a very nice meal. We eat this meal every day. This has helped our family to survive in this difficult time. My father says that he sometimes thinks that what would have happened if these meal is not served.”

Om is just one child of millions whose family has been affected the lockdown. Hearing Om’s experience through the lockdown brings to mind our generous donors – without their help families like Om’s would have starved.