On the information provided by DIG Udhampur, Sh. Sujit Kumar ji, HKFFL volunteers again got ready to help the needy. HKFFL Udhampur team made groceries kit containing Aata, Rice, Oil, Salt, Potatoes and Pulses.

With the help of Police authorities we distributed kits both in Udhampur and Katra.

See the video here

Seeing the danger of COVID-19 India is facing, our Honorable Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi ji announced the world’s largest lockdown on 24^th March 2020, asking 1.3 billion Indians to stay home for 21 days to slow the spread of COVID-19.

But one of the most challenging task during this lockdown was to provide food to the poor, needy and daily wagers who are hand to mouth people. Although government is taking various measures to help these people, many NGO’s also came forward to help the government in the task of feeding the needy.

We at HKFFL Udhampur are also standing with the government in this fight against COVID-19 and hunger. Upon the information provided by Sh. Sujit Singh, DIG Udhampur we came to know about the sufferings of daily wagers, who were camped at Supply morh, Udhampur. Our team immediately started to arrange the Grocery kit for the workers. Although it was a bit difficult to get the grocery items amid lockdown, still we managed to arrange the same. We made a Kit containing Dal, Rice, Mustard oil, Potatoes, and Aata.

Taking full safety and hygiene precautions and with the help of Police officers, we distributed these Grocery kit to 40 Families.

HKFFL Udhampur is always ready to help the needy. But this time, keeping in mind the seriousness of the situation we are working under the guidelines of District Authorities.

Amid heavy rain falls on 6th we received a call from the Police department that a train Shakti express, which was on its way to Katra Vaishno Devi got stuck at Ramnagar due to mudslide. Hundreds of pilgrims were trapped in it with no water and food. They were seeking our help. Our HKFFL Team volunteers immediately tightened their belts and started for Ramnagar with ample supply of food, water, juice, milk, biscuits etc. We provided the trapped passengers with whole day meal. 

As the news was regularly coming of the flood victims, our volunteers decided to help the victims trapped in Kashmir valley by sending them food packets. We started preparing 5000 food packets of purees with pickle. It took our team of 45 volunteers whole day and whole night to make the package, which was next day air lifted by Indian Air Force to the valley.

Meanwhile another news came that many thousands of flood victims are approaching Udhampur Railway station, covering more than 80 to 100 Kms on foot, before getting any conveyance. They had not eaten since many days. Our chairman H.H. Nava Yogendra Swami ji Maharaj was abroad and he ordered us to help the victims day and night. Under the able direction of our Managing Trustee Kunti Devi Our team reached railway station, and we started distribution of puri, sabzi, pickle, bun, butter, juice and water to the flood victims. Everyday 10000 to 15000 victims were reaching Udhampur.

Rashid, a flood victim told HKFFL that “there was more than 20 foot water in the valley. I with my three friends remained trapped on terrace of 2nd floor for two days and when we saw that water is not going down we decided to take the risk. We jumped in the water and swam for three Kms and thus we reached Srinagar Air port. But the situation there was even more critical with many thousands of tourists and local persons waiting to be air lifted to safe places. We along with many others decided to walk. Unaware of the way we started to walk on railway line and on reaching Ramsu we got conveyance for Udhampur.”

Our HKFFL Team Volunteers served the flood victims day and night for 5 days till the highway opened and relief started reaching the valley by road. In 5 days we distributed more than 35,000 packets of food and 30,000 water bottles. We were happy seeing their smiling faces upon receiving food and water.  It worked as fuel that encouraged us to work with more and more enthusiasm.

Team started from Slathia chownk in the city and moved along mukherjee bazaar, gole market, main market, chabutra bazaar, and saila talab, taking 5 hour time.

Hare Krishna Food For Life (HKFFL) is committed to do various social activities from time to time like free boarding school and orphanage for poor children, marriages of poor girls, food for poor, disaster relief, free medical camps etc.