“Food is a basic need and so our group basically works to provide food to the needy people,” says Ranjan Patel, a social worker from Bhubaneswar. He is the chief functionary of a social organization named MYRA. However, this is not his profession. He purely involved in social work through this organization for self-satisfaction. “Helping poor and needy people is real worship. Believing in this notion I started the organization after getting a minimal amount as donation from my wife,” Ranjan adds. The organisation provides food material, umbrellas, clothes etc. in mainly orphanages to underprivileged people.
“Initially I was in different WhatsApp group and was at times contributing for social causes, but decided to systematically operate a group. I shared my idea to some of my close friends. Accordingly, after my wife, an old friend from Delhi sent me another Rs. 500. It was too encouraging for me and I decided to move forward,” Ranjan said.
The group has so far done a number of charities. It donated bathing soaps, coconut oil, face Cream, tooth paste, talcum powder and dresses to the blind peoples of Sai Charity Tamando, Bhubaneswar. The group also donated a table fan, 25kg rice and cereals to a blind couple, Mr. Aswini & Pushpa, of Satyanagar. Besides, the group has also provided charity in Adruta Children Home (Girl’s) in Bhubaneswar, about 25 needy children in Kansa Village in Jajpur district and in India Charity Foundation at Lingipur, near Sisupalgarh chhak in Bhubaneswar.
“During silver Jubilee celebration of our college in Sundergarh I suggested my friends to go for social work. All were in party mood and became silent, because they had never expected such a situation. Anyway, we visited the Adruta Children Home, an orphanage on the outskirts of Sundergarh where we observed that the inmates were wasting food material because they had not a freeze. I immediately rushed the market and bought a freeze for the orphanage that costed Rs. 17,500. I spent the money from my own pocket but later my friends gave me Rs. 7000,” Ranjan narrated about the first initiative.
“We provide free food material to individuals as well as organizations. Often it becomes tough to adjust our daily busy schedule and to visit somewhere, search for the needy people and provide them food. So, now mainly we visit the orphanages and provide them food material. In the coming days if the group will grow, we will think about starting our own orphanage,” said Jyotirmoy Mishra from Bhubaneswar, secretary of MYRA.
“I was keen for social work since long and used to donate some amount during natural calamities. Later, during the silver Jubilee function of our college in Sundergarh I got associated with the group,” he added.
“Since its inception, volunteers of MYRA have been engaged in providing support to the needy/poor people in Odisha. I am proud to be a part of this group,” said Abani Ranjan Samal. Samal is based in the US.
Ipsita Patel, a homemaker and group member, from Korba says, “Great Initiative by MYRA members. Every small did of us towards needy people which can bring even a small change towards goodness in their life is actually big.”
“MYRA is an organization no less then like our home. We are here for the poor and needy ones. We provide poors food, medicine, clean water, clothes, umbrellas, study materials and of course love and care. Our goal is to serve unconditionally, express love and compassion to poor and needy. We aim to help millions of such needy people. We also want to make sure that our help genuinely reaches needy hands directly. MYRA discovers poorest of the poor, helpless and dibyanga personnel and helps them as per their need and tries to bring a smile on their faces,” said Chinmayee Patel, another member of the organisation.
Since April this year MYRA’s members are regularly organising charity programmes each Sunday. Arun Mishra, another member of the group said, “On the occasion of white Cane day we provided food to around 250 people (mainly blind people) who had come from different parts of the state to observe the day.”
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Ms Kalinga