A group of Muslim youth attached to the Mazhar food bank in Kondhwa are feeding stray cattle in the area daily.
Mazhar Shaikh, founder of the food bank, said, “The cattle normally survive on leftovers from restaurants and small eateries. However, the eateries are shut due to the lockdown. We feed them fodder and water daily. The stray cattle arrive at the food bank at regular intervals and we give them food.”
“We will continue to feed the cattle even after the lockdown is lifted. They must not be left unattended. A portion of the donation that we collect for serving citizens is also used to buy fodder for the cattle,” Shaikh said.
Hussain Khan, a member of the group, said, “We not only feed the cattle, but also ensure they remain healthy. As it is the month of Ramzan, every member has been assigned the task of feeding cattle, in the morning and evening. Besides cows, other creatures like pigeons and stray dogs are also taken care of. We are also helping senior citizens get medicines.”
The food bank also runs a community kitchen in the name of Hazrat Khwaja Garib Nawaz, wherein they are distributing at least 30kg of grains to needy families.
Ration kits are also given to 220 families. The other members of the group are Ejaz Shaikh, Mubin Khan, Sarfaraz, Badrudin, Krishna Kamble, Farid Pathan and Irfan.