Chennai: That a day in their winter holidays would turn out to make them unusually happy was not something any of these 40-odd students at the CSI School for the Deaf in Santhome thought. When most people in the city were planning to make merry for the New Year, these students were greeted by 30 volunteers of the Food Bank of India on Saturday noon.
As the sight of a large cake brightened their faces, Sneha Mohandoss, founder of Food Bank, got the children to cut the cake. After this, some freshly cooked food was distributed among the children. As the children got comfortable mingling with these visitors, the volunteers found ways to interact and engage with them. Post lunch, when notebooks and stationery were distributed to the children, they could not contain the glee on their faces.
Communicating with the schoolchildren and understanding their sign language was not a barrier for these volunteers. “As volunteers with the Food Bank, we try to do something exciting along with the food distribution programme. This time, we wanted to spend with children at this school. The happiness on their faces was so fulfilling,” said V. Ravikant, an entrepreneur.
“We had a great time interacting with the children. Celebrating New Year this way was far more satisfying,” said an elated volunteer, R. Sabareesh, who added that the group looked forward to visiting the children again soon.
“We cooked meals for 140 children but over 100 were away for a break after Christmas. The remaining food was distributed to inmates at an old age home. The satisfaction on their faces is what keeps us going,” said Sneha.
