Blanket distribution 2024

Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) organizes an annual blanket distribution drive to help those in need withstand the extreme cold of winter. This year too, the charitable activity was carried out by VMRK across the states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Maharashtra.

Planning and preparation

VMRK volunteers visited slum areas, remote hilly areas, brick kilns, and villages inhabited by underprivileged individuals, including tribal communities. They contacted the local administration of the area to prepare a list of people who needed blankets. Then VMRK purchased thick and warm blankets for all to provide them maximum insulation from the winter weather.

Distributing the donated blankets

The beneficiaries were informed a day prior to the distribution at each location. VMRK contacted the local administration or dispatched volunteers local to the area to inform the beneficiaries to come to the assigned location the next day to collect their blankets.

On the day of distribution, a team of our volunteers reached the assigned location, often transporting blankets in a pickup truck. Upon arrival, the blankets were arranged on a table, and beneficiaries were asked to form a queue. Elderly beneficiaries and those with special needs were prioritized to ensure they were distributed first. In cases where such beneficiaries were unable to collect their blankets, VMRK volunteers personally delivered the blankets to their shelter, ensuring that no one was left out.

The blanket donation drive during the winter of 2024 provided relief to thousands of families, by distributing more than 4,330 blankets. All distributions were carried out within a radius of 95 kilometers from the respective VMRK centers. The local administration at these locations expressed appreciation for the distribution of blankets. Some of these are shared below.

On January 20, 2024, VMRK center in Shahada distributed free blankets to 140 blind, disabled and elderly individuals of our village. Dhadgaon is an underdeveloped area in the Satpura Mountain Ranges. Telkhedi, located in this district, is a remote hilly terrain that is extremely difficult to access. It is a tribal village with no proper electricity and mobile network. Most of the residents depend on agriculture and casual labor for their livelihood. Its hilly terrain causes severe cold during the winter season. The blanket distribution by the Shahada center at such a location is beyond words and truly commendable. Moreover, the quality of the blankets was excellent, and they were given in huge numbers. The feelings of gratitude on the beneficiaries’ faces could not be expressed in words. I, along with all the villagers, wholeheartedly convey our gratitude to Sant Baljit Singh Ji, the spiritual head of VMRK. We wish for similar support in the future as well.

Vandana Narsingh Pawara, Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat Telkhedi, Dhadgaon, Maharashtra

During the winter of 2024, VMRK provided relief to thousands of families in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Maharashtra. In total, we distributed:

BLANKETS

The Block Panchayat of Sundar Nagar is sincerely grateful to Sant Baljit Singh Ji, the spiritual head of VMRK for donating 359 blankets on January 4, 2024, to 215 poor and underprivileged families living in the slums and huts near Ropa, Bharjwanu, and Dhanesri villages. We would like to express our highest regard for the hard work and unwavering dedication demonstrated by the volunteers of VMRK under the inspiration of the spiritual head, Sant Baljit Singh Ji. We hope that VMRK will continue such human services towards humanity in the future as well and provide free blankets and other materials to needy families.

Mahesh Kumar, President, Block Panchayat Sundar Nagar, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh