Hyderabad: Spreading the warmth on cold winter nights

Hyderabad-based NGOs donate warm clothes, blankets to poor as mercury continues to dip

Hyderabad: As the mercury dips and another cold spell grips Hyderabad, the homeless and underprivileged are the most affected. With nights and early mornings witnessing a considerable weather change in the last few days, pavement dwellers have started to face hardships.

Coming to their aid are voluntary groups and Good Samaritans, who have stepped up to help the homeless and underprivileged by distributing blankets and warm clothes. As the weather forecast indicates temperatures dropping further in the coming days, donation drives have been expedited.
Under the banner of Helping Humans Hyderabad, city-based lawyer Mohd Abdul Yousuf runs a Winter Relief drive. This year, he and his team collected around 600 blankets and 400 sweaters from donors across the city and distributed them to the needy.

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“It’s very tough for the poor to face the winter as they can’t afford warm clothes. If all of us decide to donate our unused winter wear, a lot can be done to alleviate their suffering,” says Yousuf, adding that the drive is taken up every Saturday in the winter from 9.30 pm to 11.30 pm.

Another NGO in the city, Youngistaan Foundation, has been distributing warm clothes and blankets at the government-run night shelters. “Some of the people who live at these shelters are partially homeless. They work as daily wagers during the day and spend the night at the shelter. We have been distributing warm clothes at Yousufguda, Begumpet and Nampally,” a representative of the organisation says.

Apart from NGOs that run similar drives every year, school students and housing communities have also been collecting and distributing clothes. One can reach out to Helping Humans Hyderabad at 9182188109 to donate warm clothes.