KOLKATA: No one understands the value of food like them. They are from divergent professions, united by their passion for food. Calcutta Food Club (CFC) was born out of their common passion. CFC members decided to donate generously for supply of food to sex workers of Sonagachhi, the largest red light district of the city, when they heard how badly hit they were after the outbreak of coronavirus.
The sex workers were left in the lurch as the pandemic broke out, their earnings chocked completely as people stopped coming to them. Earnings stopped, but the expenses did not. Like any one of us, they had to run their family, feed the children and pay their rent. They had no other skills, which could have seen them through this dark time and day.
Sadly, unlike the rest of the society, barring a handful of people and organizations who had already been working for the betterment of their lives, the underbelly of the city remains out of bound of the benevolence that the other sections of the society are being benefitted from. Even in despair they are outcast, said Chandan Gupta of CFC.
CFC, a charitable trust, in association with Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, a NGO dedicated to the betterment of the lives of sex workers, came forward to stand by the sex workers of Sonagachhi.
Calcutta Foodies Club (CFC) started its journey in 2014, as a social networking group by a small group of food enthusiasts. The group always managed to touch a chord in the minds of food lovers and steadily grew and gained popularity over the years. Today the group has over Two Lakh Forty Thousand members. CFC was registered as a charitable trust in the year 2019 and ever since the organization has been regularly undertaking various initiatives to contribute to the society. Beyond food, the motto has been also to feed.
The project at Sonagachhi was conceived from the idea of reaching a section of the society which is otherwise neglected. CFC in association with Durbar reached out to selected 300 women who are from the weakest economic strata. Ration packs containing essentials like rice, dal, soybean, sattu, puffed rice, cooking oil, salt, soap etc. A face mask was also included. Apart from that 50 kids of sex-workers were given special packs containing cake, chocolates, instant noodles, biscuits etc.
Like everybody else they are part of the society and deserve a better life. As a society we need to rise above discrimination and ensure equality in everything including welfare. The effort may be small but as organizations CFC wished to take the step in the right direction.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/kolkata-foodies-reached-out-to-sex-workers-with-aide-to-tide-over-covid-19-crisis/articleshow/77226734.cms
