As narrated time and again, the lockdown affected everyone in New Zealand, the residents, full-time workers, domestic and students, temporary migrant workers, stranded tourists and different limited visa holders in the country.
In such times, many organisations came forward in their own capacity to help and support the needy either with food, accommodation, financial help, and counselling if needed.
Food boxes arranged by Auckland Tamil Association (Photo Supplied)
Auckland Tamil Association, a community organisation for the Tamilian origin people from different parts the world living in Auckland, arranged 70+ boxes of food and daily necessities for international students living in Auckland CBD.
Auckland Tamil Association in the mid of April published a poster on their Facebook page encouraging people in need, especially international students, both Tamil and non-Tamil speaking to inform them if they need basic groceries that can be arranged by the association.
Auckland Tamil Association members as volunteers at the free food distribution from the Consulate Office in Auckland (IWK Photo)
Applicants, mostly students, were asked to fill a Google form with their details, visa status, contact information, and current situation, and the team ATA will review and confirm their bookings.
“Once we received the forms, we reviewed them, almost all of them were international students- our volunteers arranged the food items packing them into boxes and informed them of the time of delivery to their addresses,” Vai Ravindran, president of Auckland Indian Association told The Indian Weekender.
Auckland Tamil Association members as volunteers at the free food distribution from the Consulate Office in Auckland (IWK Photo)
Initially, ATA received 40 registrations for whom the food boxes were arranged immediately, within some time, through word of mouth 30 more students applied for the package that would help them steer through lockdown for at least two weeks.
The Auckland Tamil Association also provided 300 tea boxes to Consulate of India earlier in April when Indian High Commission via Consulate office distributed over 400 food bags to temporary migrant workers, stranded Indians and the needy in Auckland.
President of Auckland Tamil Association Vai Ravindran
“We are just contributing our part to help these helpless individuals who were in dire need of food and grocery items to survive through Coviid-19 Alert Level 4 and 3 lockdowns,” Mr Ravindran said.
Auckland Tamil Association also provided four of its members as volunteers for the food distributions from the Consulate office in April.
“ATA volunteered four of its members Nagesh Nemani, Hariharan Saravanan, Sindhur Gowda and Siddharth Thyagaraj in the distribution of food boxes to the Indian nationals organised Consulate of India.
Auckland Tamil Association members as volunteers at the free food distribution from the Consulate Office in Auckland (IWK Photo)
“All four members volunteering at the Consulate free grocery kits packed different items into boxes while wearing their PPEs, maintaining social distance with one another and making the box ready to distribute to the people coming to pick them,” Mr Ravindran added.
Auckland Tamil Association during the lockdown also hosted Tamil language classes for its children via zoom and has so far 35 students enrolled with them.