The Ranchi archdiocese that had been serving food to the attendants of Covid patients and the poor at hospitals in the Jharkhand capital reached out to small hamlets on Khunti border to distribute ration parcels among the poor on Friday.

Archbishop Felix Toppo and Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, accompanied by the members of the Roman Catholic Youth led by Kuldeep Tirkey and Father Roshan Tiru, distributed ration for two weeks among over 200 such poor families residing at hamlets like Ambatoli, Garsul, Patratoli, Tetartoli, Kusmabeda and Dumbartoli located about 35km away from Ranchi.

“Far off from the city, these people have been hit hard by the pandemic and the lockdown,” informed Bishop Mascarenhas, adding they had gone to those villages for the first time and would visit those again.

These people are completely dependant on minor forest produce that they collect and sale for a living, the Bishop further informed, adding the lockdown pushed them to near starvation as they could not go out for selling what they collected from the forests around their hamlets.

“The church always stands by people, irrespective of their caste and religion, specially when they pass through difficult times,” Archbishop Toppo told those villagers, assuring further help.

“The ration parcels contained rice, pulses, gram, soyabean, oil, salt and spices essential for cooking,” the Auxiliary Bishop informed, adding the quantities were sufficient for feeding a family for two weeks.

Besides feeding the attendants of the Covid patients and the poor at hospitals when those were overcrowded during the second wave of the pandemic, they also distributed ration among the families of those afflicted with AIDS in Ranchi on June 15.

“Now that the rush has reduced at the hospitals, we will continue giving rations to families of the AIDS patients and these villagers,” the Bishop informed.

“We could continue doing it because of generous donations we received for the purpose from benefactors and well wishers,” he further informed, adding the provision were packed by the Nazareth Sisters and their candidates while the food packets were distributed by the members of the Roman Catholic Youth like Kuldeep who were proving to be very helpful.

“We are grateful to all of them who always extend a helping hands for such causes,” Archbishop Toppo added.