This dinner is a winner: Mother-daughter duo gives free meals

An upscale bakery in Versova that has vegan grainfree glutenfree breads and desserts on its menu has decided to add another free to that list by giving free meals to the Covid19 afflictedFounder entrepreneur Simran Bapu 24 of The Paleoo Bakes said ldquoMy company has been doing well since the first lockdown The takeaway business is up I witnessed the virulence of the second wave the devastation it wrought on all My mother Tina and I decided to turn profit lines into a lifeline Inspired by so many who were giving back to the community in different ways we started giving meals for free to the Covid19 afflictedrdquoBoth mother and daughter claim that the decision to deliver meals also hinged on the fact that they had the infrastructure because of their bakery business ldquoWe hired two helpers and started cooking and delivering meals to those who are unable to cook because they have contracted Covid19 and others in the family cannot cook too as they need to isolate We have a lot of older persons who are taking these basic meals which are given at dinner time We usually give roti veg sabzi dal and rice with a dessertrdquo Simran saidIt is dinner timeTina said ldquoThese are uncertain times when everything is at a standstill A meal now is more than a meal it uplifts the mood of people afflicted with Covid19rdquo The Bapus explained ldquoThere are persons like watchmen in certain buildings in the area who also get this meal service The general pandemic situation has been crunch time financially for a lot of people Even if these persons are employed they have seen incomes dip overall with salaries being slashed benefits curbedrdquoThe meals which Simran said ldquoare now 150 to 200 a day at dinner time are delivered in the evenings by my driver who also has two other persons to help him We do provide lunch but that is just to one or two persons who need lunch Our regular time though is evenings for dinner delivery We have reached 150 to 200 through social media Word also spread that we are offering free mealsrdquoAlso Read How Mumbai citizen volunteers rose to organise hospital beds and hot meals in the second waveFor Simran the personal became a spur for the movement ldquoI had witnessed relatives suffering my motherrsquos friends in a difficult space because there was nobody to cook when they were ill with the virus We used to send them meals and we decided to expand this to help those in needrdquo she added ldquoWe plan to continue this for another month at least Currently it is selffunded If we reach 500 meals for dinner we may just consider sponsorship some people have reached out to us with a willingness to sponsor some part of this initiativerdquo explained the young dieticianCheers to themAshok Kumar from Versova is one of the very few who gets lunch from the Bapusrsquo kitchen Said Ashok Kumar ldquoThis has helped tremendously in difficult times I am 75plus and live alone Great food and spoton service makes this a real boon for persons like merdquoZil Damania from Andheri W who is recovering from Covid19 said that her family of four has been afflicted ldquoSo a nutritious and hygienic balanced dinner is a welcome homemade meal for me and my family We have not had to pay for this too May Simran Bapu and her tribe increaserdquo she finished while Tina added as a postscript PS ldquoNo act of kindness is ever wasted This is our endeavour to bring comfort into homes of people battling illness some fear because of uncertainty problems brought on by Covid19 restrictions They just need the reassurance that a warm meal can giverdquo150200No of meals the Bapus are delivering every day