Together Everyone Achieves More
Mumbai Floods, 2017
Mumbai experiences torrential rainfall every year between the months of June and September, but the deluge of August 29, 2017 was of an unprecedented scale. The unexpected storm poured down 900 mm (36 inches) of rainfall in just a few hours, and news flashes were immediately broadcasting the flooding that had paralyzed the city. The transportation systems were at a standstill due to choked roadways and flooded rail lines, while a building collapsed and several more homes were flooded, including those of slum dwellers who were left hungry and cold with nowhere to go.
Mumbai’s slums are always the worst affected areas of the city during storms, as they are built in low lying areas that quickly flood, in addition to being extremely overcrowded and suffering from poor ventilation. T.E.A.M. quickly swung into gear and decided to do its part for the city by providing immediate relief to 3 adjacent slums that were particularly stricken. The local authorities had declared that they would be unable to provide food and water for the next 48 hours, and overcoming this became T.E.A.M’s primary objective.
As the rain settled and roadways opened the following morning, the homeless slum dwellers were still hungry and thirsty as they were unable to cook and prepare a meal in their flooded slums. T.E.A.M.’s squad of 33 members and volunteers realized that the most effective solution was to distribute warm, home-cooked meals to immediately alleviate hunger and simultaneously boost morale by putting a smile on people’s faces. Instead of traditional fundraising, T.E.A.M. deployed it’s pyramid outreach structure - each member reached out to their networks and through social media to solicit donations of home cooked meals, while also imploring people to tap their networks for additional donations in a virtuous cycle of generosity and community service.
The mealboxes had 4 key requirements - the food had to be low spice, so that everyone (including children) could eat them, and they also had to be vegetarian so that they were suitable for the significant number of Indians that follow a vegetarian diet. They also had to be wrapped in aluminum foil to contain the heat and freshness of the food, and be packed in individual portions so that they could be easily distributed and consumed. Donors were also asked to pair each meal box with a bottle of drinking water for the parched recipients, and also to reach out to their friends and families to solicit additional donations.
The response was overwhelming - the word spread rapidly, especially amongst neighbours within large apartment buildings, and T.E.A.M. began receiving dozens of meal boxes. Members began coordinating pickups from all over the city, from downtown Cuffe Parade all the way to the Northern suburb of Kandivali. By midday, the food was collected, and the challenge was now to distribute it to the recipients before it spoiled. T.E.A.M. members assembled at the slums and began physically handing out parcels of food themselves, starting at Kurla at 4 in the afternoon, moving on to Bandra an hour later, and then concluding at Khar by 7PM. The 3000 meal boxes distributed within 36 hours of the disaster helped provide relief to the people who needed it the most, and the efforts of the T.E.A.M. members were rewarded as they were able to see the smiles lighting up the faces of several hungry mothers and children
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