The Rice ATM That Supports Indian Workers
People across the world have experienced a myriad of hardships thanks to the impact of COVID-19. Due to businesses shutting down for lockdown, hundreds of people in the Hyderabad region of India were left without the means they need to live comfortably.
Ramu Dosapati, an HR executive in the area, was jolted to action by witnessing the good deeds of another. One day, while at the grocery store purchasing what he needed for his son’s birthday dinner, he watched a woman buy close to $2,500 worth of chicken. At such an astronomical price, he couldn’t help but ask the purpose. The woman, who works at a camp for migrant workers, was buying the chicken for residents who ran out of food and didn’t currently have the funds to purchase much more.
Dosapati and his Rice ATM. Credit: The Indian Express.
“When I asked her about her salary, she said it was ₹6,000,” Dosapati says. “That made me think that if a lady with ₹6,000 salary can spend ₹2,000 on the needy, why can’t I do the same?”
Inspired by her action, Dosapati asked to accompany the woman to the camp she works at to see how many people needed help. His goal was to provide these workers the support they needed to not have to go hungry or without essential items, but upon making a list of 200 people. His initial investment plan was ₹1,50,000 (about $2,000 USD), but as he planned out distribution, he quickly realized his initial investment would only last these people a few days.
More on Ramu Dosapati’s Rice ATM.
Though a lofty pursuit, Ramu Dosapati cashed his retirement fund to the tune of $61,000, and with the assistance of a local merchant, he opened his “Rice ATM.” The service provides rice and other necessities to those who need it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But Dosapati wasn’t going to stop there.
Dosapati had been in the process of moving his family to a larger home when this all started. He sold a parcel of his ancestral land to afford the move, but when he learned dozens of workers arrived to the area in need of aid, he asked his family if they could put moving on hold to help others. They agreed, and the funds the family allocated for their move was instead allotted for feeding the people who need it.
Credit: Business Today
The Rice ATM launched in April of 2020 and has been going strong ever since. Hundreds of people have benefited from Dosapati’s generosity. Such as Dosapati was inspired by the kindness of that security guard, dozens of organizations have offered their aid to Dosapati’s cause.
Ramu Dosapati proves that we don’t need the assistance of a major organization to impart good on the world. All you need is a kind heart.
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