Ration distributed among 800 families

PESHAWAR: The Al-Khidmat Foundation Monday distributed food packages among 800 families at a ceremony here at a cost of Rs 3.5 million.

The ceremony was held at the central food bank set up by the foundation at the spacious Shiraz Gathering Hall here. Provincial secretary general of the foundation Mohammad Shakir Siddique was the chief guest on the occasion.

The ceremony was attended by district president of the foundation Arbab Abdul Haseeb and others.

Each food package consisted of rice, cooking oil, sugar, pulses, chips for kids, mineral water. The foundation has the plan to reach out to 500,000 families affected by the long lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic and provide them necessary support in this hour of trial.

Speaking on the occasion, Shakir Siddique said apart from the food packages the volunteers of the foundation has so far provide cooked food to some 38,000 people during the holy month of Ramazan. He said that the pandemic has affected every individual and group of the society. He said that Al-Khidmat Foundation was actively pursuing relief activities since the day one of the pandemic.

The foundation has suspended all its routine operations and launched a massive Covid-19 operation across the country, he said.

He said that the foundation has handed over all its health facilities and orphanages in the province to the provincial government for use in case of emergency. The foundation has the biggest fleet of ambulances in the province, which has been put at the disposal of the provincial government, he informed.

He further said that the foundation has also set up corona wards and installed ventilators in its hospitals, which could be used in case of emergency. Provision of food items to the people affected by the disease or the lockdown was another aspect of the operation launched by the foundation. The foundation has set the target of providing food packages to half a million deserving families by upcoming Eid, he said.

He appealed to the well off people to come forward and give donations to the foundation and other bodies busy in providing relief to the people in this need of hour. During the food distribution ceremony, exemplary arrangements had been made to provide foodstuff to the people, while maintaining the idea of social distancing. Proper preventive measures were taken to avert the spread of the disease. In his speech on the occasion, district president of the foundation Arbab Haseeb said that in district Peshawar food packages have been provided to nearly 9000 families and they were committed to reach to 10,000 more families and provide them relief goods at their doorsteps.