Bangalore, Karnataka, India | 7th April 2020: Amid 21 days lockdown announced in India, the daily wagers working in factories and construction labor are facing the heat as they battle to earn and find food for themselves and their families. Rising to the situation and lending a helping hand in times of crisis, the kitchen staff of Vidyashilp Academy has taken the initiative of preparing packed meal packets for those in need. 
 
What started as a test run with 130 meal packets a day has now expanded to 500+ a day! The staff is planning to increase the output to 1000 meal packets daily. The staff is also practicing safe distancing and other stringent hygiene and health checks to keep themselves and others safe during this initiative.  
 
Participating in the drive, Betalal, one of the volunteers, said, “We are currently catering to feed about 500 persons daily but we can increase our capacity if more demand arises in the coming days. We hope this gesture brings some relief to those in need.”
 
“As members of Shilp, we always uphold our RISE values. This was shown in the true sense by our support staff by helping the needy. They are true heroes without worrying about their health stood forward to help. Salute to them!” said Bhagyalakshmi, Administrator of VSA. 
 
Throughout its 25 year journey, Vidyashilp Academy has consistently advocated and enabled measures to help the economically disadvantaged. In the face of crises, when fear becomes a dominating emotion, the school’s kitchen staffs have instead chosen to expand their circle of concern and are lifting the well-being of others through hope and action.