Reshma Jain, the brain behind Circle of Love and Care, can barely hide her surprise when we phone her for an interview. On May 16, the Kemps Corner resident launched a WhatsApp group, along with a few close friends from South Mumbai, to help the city's migrants by feeding them the ubiquitous Gujarati snack, thepla. Little did she know that the informal, hyperlocal initiative would grow into a massive, citizen-driven project powered by over 150 volunteers. The idea was simple: nobody should go hungry.

Over the past two months, its members have covered the length and breadth of the city helping the needy with masala rotis, biscuits and water. "Funnily, nobody in the group really knows each other," says Jain. Membership has grown organically through word of mouth. "A lot of people have come and gone. You can't expect everybody to roll out rotis daily under lockdown, which is why we have outsourced a part of the job to women's collectives in Chira Bazaar, Borivli and other suburban pockets, so that they have a source of income." No amount of food is too little and no place too far. The volunteers are a diverse mix, ranging from scriptwriters and educators to restaurateurs and pilots. Vrushank Joshi, who works as a finance manager with a newspaper, joined the group two weeks ago and has been pitching in with collection and distribution in Borivli.