Kalifa Clyne
Dozens of volunteers spent hours at the Divali Nagar site yesterday, packing food items into re-usable market bags to send to 2,000 families affected by recent flooding in October.
The volunteers formed part of SEWA International T&T's drive to assist nationals affected by flooding.
The food packs will be distributed next week by SEWA volunteers.
In an interview yesterday, SEWA chairman Revan Teelucksingh said all of the food items, which included rice, flour, sugar, peas and oil, were purchased by members of the public who were encouraged to purchase SEWA packs at groceries to assist in bringing relief to flood victims.
"We have been in the affected areas since the first day of the floods and we have been working with councillors on the ground and the disaster management units of the regional corporations in an effort to assess needs and help meet the needs we can," Teelucksingh said.
He said while the group could not afford to replace fridges or stoves, they hoped that the money flood victims saved from buying food could be directed to those needs.
SEWA is a not-for-profit service organization of like-minded individuals, dedicated to the task of building a national network of volunteers dedicated to the cause of working for the unity of the society and the removal of social disparities in T&T.
Yesterday, St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar and his staff volunteered to assist with food packs.
Speaking to the media, Ramadhar said there was a silver lining from the floods—seeing that generosity and kindness was alive and well in T&T with the majority of citizens.