The monsoon floods this year have devastated a major portion of the country and rendered millions homeless and without food and shelter. Among the relief operations that are winning hearts are those of the brave, Karachi-based owners of the café Mariyah’s Den who have started a relief kitchen to feed the affectees.
Maria Mushtaq and her husband Waheed Ali have started a relief kitchen in the flood-affected areas of Sindh to help feed people there in addition to providing people with anti-malarial sprays and mosquito nets to save them from mosquito-transmitted diseases.
They revealed that their kitchen has been set up in the city of Kot Diji and in the suburbs of Khairpur, including Moosani Goth and Tando Masti.
Many are supporting the couple’s initiative and are contributing to it in both cash and kind.
Maria Mushtaq revealed that the couple started this project on 28 August after they saw how destructive the rains had become and tried to come up with something to do about it.
Maria detailed that they had identified three major relief provisions — medical care, temporary shelter, and food, and after a good deal of brainstorming their resources, the couple ended up deciding to set up a kitchen where they could make fresh meals for the flood affectees.
She also commended the Indus Resource Center (IRC) and NGOs in Khairpur for helping them with logistics and locations.
The couple first did a thorough assessment of the people they would serve and the relief areas before starting their relief kitchen. They revealed that it took them two days to establish the kitchen for which they hired a cook and three helpers who start making naans at 3 AM. They make between 3,000 to 4,000 naans until noon, and the catering has been expanded to cover 11 sites.
The owners of Mariyah’s Den are running it based on the concept of a cloud kitchen that relies on deliveries and takeaways. The food is cooked in one place and packed, after which teams transport it according to the requirement of the area.
Men, women, and children are served to their hearts’ content in shifts but the condition is that they have to eat in the designated area only.
The owners’ concept is highly appreciated by everyone and it shows the selflessness of people in the toughest of times.
Let us know what you think of the concept in the comments below.