During the month of August, BAPS Charities proudly supported Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Las Vegas, Nevada to address the dramatic increase of COVID-19 cases in the area.
Since the emergence of the Delta variant, Nevada has seen a tremendous uptick in COVID-related hospitalizations, and the area has been one of the leading hot spots per capita for newly acquired cases of COVID-19. In response, FEMA deployed “surge response teams” to canvass specific hard-hit zip codes as part of a broad education and engagement plan.
“When FEMA asked BAPS Charities to provide volunteers to support efforts to combat COVID, we immediately agreed to help because volunteerism and the spirit of service is at the heart of our mission,” stated Mukesh Swaroop, a BAPS Charities volunteer helping coordinate the efforts. “We were especially pleased to see so many youths come forward to work with FEMA and answer this important call for service.”
BAPS Charities volunteers arrived from areas around the country, including Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and Robbinsville, NJ. Through the month of August, 65 volunteers were trained by FEMA and then reached out, door-to-door, to share factual vaccination information.
FEMA recognized the efforts of BAPS Charities volunteers in their newsletters. Click here to read the details.
Reecha Patel, a BAPS Charities volunteer from Washington D.C. shared her experience: “The work we did in Las Vegas was enriching and eye-opening. I was really amazed seeing the drive from my fellow volunteers to do good in these communities. So many people have endured hardships from this pandemic and it’s evident when walking around the neighborhoods. I’m very happy with the work we did and know it’s important to keep connecting with these communities about the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Bhaskar Pandya, a volunteer from Hartford, CT echoed similar sentiments: “I learned from an early age volunteering with BAPS Charities that spreading happiness and bettering your community is the key to finding peace and purpose. I deeply enjoyed this opportunity to talk to people about the importance of the vaccine and to understand their perspective. I also admired the hard work it takes to overcome this pandemic.”
This effort is the latest contribution by BAPS Charities during the pandemic. Through its spirit of service, BAPS Charities has made a significant impact in USA as well as countries throughout the world. Addressing the needs of the community, BAPS Charities has provided:
USA
- 175,000 PPE | over 90,000 meals and food packages | $200,000 in donations for health care and community support | 36,000 people vaccinated in 62 COVID vaccination drives throughout the country | Food drives | Flu vaccination drives
INDIA
- 395 beds in partner hospitals to treat COVID patients | over 3,500 patient given comprehensive treatment | 500 bed temporary facility | 1,300 oxygen concentrators | 132 metric tons of liquid oxygen
More information can be found at:
USA efforts: Click here
INDIA efforts: Click here
Listen to the experiences from a few of the volunteers below…
