STORIES OF COURAGE AND COMPASSION
Melwyn Lucas, a parishioner of Holy Trinity Church, Powai woke up early on April 02, 2020, with a voice telling him to distribute food to the needy. Maybe it was a dream, but he decided to make it a reality. As Holy Week approached, he thought, “Why not give cooked lunch to the needy and homeless from April 05, 2020, for a week at least?” thus putting the words of our Lord “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me” into practice.
He contacted a caterer to prepare cooked food packets for 200 people. Community members helped him identify the needy. He distributed food packets in a rickshaw to whomever he saw in need along the way from Bhandup, and even some areas of Mulund. Seeing the people’s need, he decided to extend his efforts till April 14, 2020. He has also reached out to Community members with medical assistance, and even hospital transportation for a dialysis patient. A bulk of the funding was personal, but as word got around, many Community members and well-wishers came forward to help.
From April 16-28, he decided to distribute dry ration (5kg rice, 1kg dal, 1kg salt, 1L oil) to 225 needy people. He gave 25 such hampers to St Anthony Church, Tembipada, which was distributed to the poor and needy of the parish.
He has also helped arrange transport for a funeral during the lockdown. Melwyn is truly the Good Samaritan and a COVID warrior of our parish. We are indeed proud of him. May God bless him and his family.
Clarissa D’Mello Holy Trinity Church, Powai
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