A charity has served 100,000 meals to vulnerable people across Leicestershire throughout the coronavirus crisis so far - and that is just for starters.
The Midland Langar Seva Society (MLSS) has been working seven days a week for 232 days to ensure local people facing hardship during the pandemic do not go hungry.
The term 'langar' refers to the community kitchen of a gurdwara, or Sikh place of worship, and 'seva' means selfless service.
The charity started in the West Midlands in 2013, and is now nationwide, with a dedicated team for Leicestershire.
The 100,000 meal milestone has been reached even though, due to social distancing rules, the charity's Leicestershire crew of around 90 volunteers has had to reduce to around 20, which includes both packers and drivers. The team now work in rotation throughout the week.
The MLSS lead for Leicestershire, Ginda Basra, said: "We have a simple mission: to provide a daily hot meal to those who would not otherwise have access to one.
"I’d like to extend a personal thank you to all of our volunteers and supporters who continue to work incredibly hard towards this cause. It has been humbling to see so many people from Leicester support us in helping us help those in need."
Since 2015 and before Covid-19 restrictions, the charity provided hot meals daily to homeless people which were handed out from Leicester Market.
Now, due to Covid-19, the charity has been unable to continue its services from the market. Instead, it has operated on a referral system to reach those in need and supported the city council by providing meals to vulnerable people who were given temporary accommodation.
The meals are cooked at More Restaurant in London Road in the city, and each one is packed with a piece of fresh fruit, bottled water and a treat such as a packet of crisps, chocolate bar or biscuits.
Throughout the second national lockdown, volunteers will continue to provide free meals to vulnerable people in Leicestershire.
After another month of further restrictions, the charity plans to introduce the #Challenge10 fund-raiser. From December 1, it will encourage the public to raise funds for its ongoing service by walking, running or cycling 10 kilometres.
The charity also operates in more than 25 towns throughout the UK to support people in need.
For more information about the charity, how to donate to it or how it can help, visit the website here.
