The impact of corona-virus on Pillar Center and the people living around is immense. Pillar is closed  since 18 March 2020. The  lockdown  is causing  immense suffering to the poor, particularly the daily wage earners. Confined to their huts they face malnutrition and several psychological disorders. The Pillar Pallottine community tries its best to help them.  The biggest hurdle is the state. It mandates that all relief work must be done only with the permission of government officials. This takes away our freedom to identify and help the most deserving people. Given the situation we have no choice but to collaborate with the state officials and make the best out of it. 

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On 19 April 2020 we distributed the following items to the villagers suffering from hunger.

          1. 1000 Kilos of rice packed in 100 bags

          2. 100 Kilos of pulses (dhal) packed in 100 bags

          3. 100 liters of cooking oil

These were distributed to 55 families living at Palkalai Nagar and 45 Narikuravar families living in Thenpalanji village.

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The Second Phase of distribution took place on 21 April 2020. Relief materials were distributed to 30 villagers living close to Pillar Campus, which included also some of the families of our school children.  Each received  10 kilos of rice, 1 kilo of dhal and 1 litre of cooking oil. 

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We are continuing our effort to alleviate the sufferings of the poor caused by the fallout of the Covid-19 Pandemic. On 11-05-2020 twenty-three families from the villages of Karadipatti and Alampatti were given relief materials consisting of rice (10 kilos), dhal (1 kilo) and cooking oil (1 litre).

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On  hearing that nomadic people staying at Sathiyamoorthy Nagar, an outskirt of Madurai city, are facing hunger, we made arrangements through our friends, members of the TENT Society, to open a community kitchen for five days. With the necessary permissions obtained from the local authority food was prepared for 500 people each day beginning May 6th until May 10th, 2020. Packed food was distributed to families facing hunger with the help of volunteers. A total of 2500 meals were supplied.  Due to lockdown regulations  we were unable to visit the place.   

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