Bhubaneswar, Nov. 22: If you want to spread some warmth this winter among the homeless and have been wondering how to go about it, a group of youngsters in the city has the answer for you.
Sambhava, a group of 40 youths, has launched a 'Donate a Blanket' campaign aimed at providing the homeless with some relief this winter.
As part of the initiative, they are setting up kiosks in different parts of the city to collect old blankets and winter garments. One was put up at Ram Mandir Square today where more than 50 items were collected by the group.
The initiative was launched a week ago and so far they have collected around 100 blankets and 100 winter garments.
"It is our responsibility to do whatever we can to give the homeless some relief. We have requested our friends, friends of friends, and family members to donate," said Harish Panigrahi, an artist who is a member of the group.
"We will start the distribution from tomorrow. We will go near bus stands and railway stations after 11pm and distribute blankets to the needy. We will also visit a few orphanages and senior citizens' homes," said Durga Charan Samal, another member of the group.
The campaign will continue throughout the winter months. In the coming days, Sambhava plans to set up collection kiosks at Unit-IV, Patia and other busy places.
The youngsters had also run this campaign last year. "There was a good response and we had collected over 500 blankets and 120 winter garments. So, we thought of doing it again this time," said Durga.
They are also planning to spread the project to other places such as Cuttack and Puri so that more homeless people can benefit from the initiative. The group members are promoting the campaign through social networking sites to collect the maximum number of items.
There are also some other groups in the city that are taking up similar initiatives to provide some relief to the homeless in the winter months.
A group of people who call themselves Zaariya are spending nights with watchmen and homeguards. They intend to give them company and are also providing them with sweaters and hot cups of tea.
