Tivona D’souza, 17, who has been delivering food and ration to frontline workers and the poor gets help from many unlikely corners following mid-day report
Members of the hockey club distribute food packets among children at a Balwadi in Colaba. Pic/Ashish Raje
A student from the Cathedral and John Connon School who has been helping out frontline workers and the poor with food and ration for a month now has received help from the Bombay Republicans Hockey club. Players from the club have come forward to help Tivona D’souza in delivering meal packets and snacks to the needy.
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On June 8, mid-day had reported on the 17-year-old student’s endeavour.
“We got a call from Mr Conroy Remedios, the coach of the Republican Sports Club on June 8 after the article was published,” said Tivona.
“He told us that the founder of the club, fondly called Mr Bawa, was pleased with the work that we were doing, and that he would like some of his hockey players to help us out in any way that they can—especially with their time. We discussed it with them and agreed that they would help with deliveries.”
Tivona said hockey players from the club arrive by about 11 am at her Cuffe Parade home to collect meals and deliver them to vaccination centres, old age homes and shelters all over the city. “They have also been delivering lunches and snacks to a local Balwadi and rations to Geethanagar.”
Not just the hockey club, many home chefs have come forward to provide meals and home-cooked lunches for the vaccination centres. “There were others who wished to provide snacks,” said Tivona.
“We also received meals from Nanjo’s kitchen in May, and after the mid-day article, they sent meals to the vaccination centres directly through us. They have been providing a variety of vegetarian and home-cooked breakfasts with dessert for vaccination centres. A few of my mother’s friends in the medical field donated money for rations and snacks as well.”
Conroy Remedios, 41, manager of Bombay Republicans, said: “Our mentor Merzban Patel Bawa happened to read an article in mid-day about a South Mumbai girl named Tivona doing such charity work and he too wanted to help her in some way. I offered them our sporty and tough boys who stay in south Bombay, to help in distributing the goodies and lunches to the needy people.”
Vijin More, 22, Shreekishan Chaurasiya, 22, Govind Nag, 19, Riddham Mammia, 19, and Krunal Gohil, 21, are the volunteers from the club.