Hyderabad: Doing their bit silently for people fighting Covid-19 is what Sandeep Gudi, founder of city-based NGO, V-Care Foundation, and his team is planning with ‘Silent Auction’. ‘Silent Auction’, which calls upon people to make a bid for a cause is an initiative where memorabilia of renowned personalities from the South Indian film fraternity and also a few from sports who represented India will be auctioned to help raise funds for people affected with Covid-19.
The proceeds will go towards food and medicine supplies for people in rural and tribal areas, with the auction to start from May 29 and go on till the end of June on the NGO’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
“For the last 13 years, we have been running an orphanage in Dundigal, both for boys and girls. In 2014, we wanted to construct a good premise for the students there, and we got the idea of approaching celebrities and auctioning their artifacts.
That time, most of the sports stars like Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, Parupally Kashyap, Chetan Anand and actors like Lakshmi Rai, Navdeep contributed. After that we never did this. This time, the response is much better than last time,” says Sandeep, who has joined hands with other organisations and has a team of 65 members.
The team is not only supplying groceries and cooked food for the needy, but has also joined hands with Saadhya, a team of doctors for medical help. “The young doctors are helping to gather required medicines and also guide patients on how to take care of themselves. We are supplying food in Khammam’s Kalluru village. We started with food for 150 people, now it has reached 500. We are also distributing groceries in tribal hamlets near Nallamala, Mulugu. Due to the lockdown, their livelihood is disturbed, so we are supporting them with groceries including rice, dal and oil,” says Sandeep, who adds that actor Navdeep and anchor-cum-actor Anasuya Bharadwaj always support the cause when there’s a need.
Celebrities who have already donated include Navdeep, who donated T-shirts and watches, singer Sunitha who donated 25 saris, anchor Anasuya who donated saris and western wear, actor Archana who donated her bridal lehenga and badminton star Kashyap who donated his racquet and jerseys.
Actor Varun Sandesh donated his branded shoes, actor Sharwanand donated his tees, watch and goggles. Rana, Madhu Shalini, Poonam Kaur and Renu Desai have confirmed contributions but are yet to send their stuff, says Sandeep.
“We have Pavan Kalyan’s pendant that he wore in the film Johnny, a leather belt that he wore in Badri, and a red muffler that he wore in Komaram Puli,” adds Sandeep, who also is planning to auction the autograph of popular playback singer KJ Yesudas on his portrait.
Those interested in the auction can call Sandeep on 99668 84400 or check the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/vcare.foundation) and Instagram page (Insta @vcare_ngo).
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