Joy of giving: Covid-19 kitchen Longleng completes one month

“Our strength to fight this virus lies in our unity, compassion, faith, prayer and discipline of our people”

Dimapur, June 23 (EMN): The Covid-19 community kitchen in Longleng has completed 35 days of selfless service to hundreds of returnees undergoing quarantine and frontline workers. The women department of Phom Baptist Christian Association (PBCA), Longleng under the district task force Longleng is managing the kitchen voluntarily in the mission compound (Phom Lempong) by converting the PBCA kitchen to official Covid-19 kitchen (C19K).

An update from the DIPR informed that the kitchen has been catering to hundreds of people daily including returnees and frontline workers since May 18, with volunteers working tirelessly to provide seamless supply of well-cooked organic food and varieties of other delicacies from time to time.

The kitchen management committee comprised of lady staff and wives of the PBCA staff headed by P Angbhen Phom, woman secretary PBCA and Chingong, literature secretary, the update said.

Initially, people were scared of Covid-19 and were reluctant to cater to the inmates in the quarantine centre, Tialemba, Executive Secretary of PBCA, was quoted as saying, while adding the PBCA took up the task when the deputy commissioner and chairmen district task force approached the association to volunteer and manage the Covid-19 kitchen.

He informed that the PBCA have received gratitude and appreciations from the parents when their children were discharged from the quarantine centre for providing good food and free service. He further mentioned that everything in the district is running smoothly because of the consolidate effort of the government officers and frontline workers with NGOs and Churches under the district administration.

Sharing her experience, kitchen management leader Angbhen said that the team felt privilege and grateful to volunteer their service to the community during such crisis, according to the update. She said everyday was a new experience without regret and that they have not received any complain from the returnees, medical staff, security and public.

Angbhen also acknowledged the unceasing contribution and donation towards Covid -19 kitchen from various organisation and societies, churches, village councils, individuals and well-wishers from far and near. “The fire keeps burning because not a day goes by without receiving cash, rice, food stuff, firewood, fresh fruits, organic vegetables and other items for the covid-19 kitchen and added the C19K team is overwhelmed by the generous contribution from various quarter,” she was quoted as saying.

She asserted that Covid-19 has pulled everyone together with one responsibility to contain and defeat the virus but there is no end to this fight. Giving a strong message to the people, she said “our strength to fight this virus lies in our unity, compassion, faith, prayer and discipline of our people”.

The update from DIPR informed that the Longleng Town Students’ Union (LTSU) under Phom Students’ Conference (PSC) is shouldering the responsibility of delivering food items to the quarantine centres and working hand-in-hand with the C19K management committee as delivery team from day-one. It is stated to have been doing their job of delivering food well, not receiving any complaint from the returnees in quarantine centre so far.

The PBCA team lead by the executive secretary has also visited the remote villagers of Assam-Nagaland border and provided face mask to the villagers and security guards, the update informed, adding that they have been providing such protective kits to the members of the DTF, LTSU and others since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.

The team is also said to be organising prayer programmes in the quarantine centres from time to time.

“The amount of responsibility the PBCA is shouldering for Covid-19 with limited strength is immense in the district. The yeoman services are purely voluntary without compensation. The only reward they receive in return is gratitude from well-wishers,” the update added.