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5 Chennai IT workers cook special meals for care homes on weekends

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Operating as the Outreach Ministry Leadership & Operations Team, the volunteers conduct at least two weekend drives every month, serving approximately 200 individuals per session. The members split tasks like Friday wholesale shopping and donor management, partnering directly with a Tiruvallur-based chef to prepare tailored dishes, frequently featuring non-vegetarian options. Alongside hot meals, they supply essential items like clothing and bedspreads to verified homes in areas like Alamathi and Marakkanam.

Key points

  • Active personal participation and on-site cooking replace simple cash donations to guaran…: Active personal participation and on-site cooking replace simple cash donations to guarantee direct impact for vulnerable residents.
  • Structured internal roles allow the professionals to manage extensive logistics, from Fri…: Structured internal roles allow the professionals to manage extensive logistics, from Friday market runs to regional travel.
  • Verified care facilities receive essential material provisions like clothing alongside cu…: Verified care facilities receive essential material provisions like clothing alongside custom-requested holiday meals like chicken biryani.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

For five IT professionals in Chennai, Saturdays have become about something beyond deadlines, office meetings and weekend breaks. Instead of spending their free time relaxing after a busy workweek, they head to old-age homes and child-care centres, where they plan, prepare and serve special meals to residents.

What began as a small community initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has grown into a sustained volunteering effort. The five colleagues have organised 88 food-service events so far, with financial contributions from nearly 200 supporters. The group, called the Outreach Ministry Leadership & Operations Team, includes Senthilnathan L., P. Yesuraja, Sathish Raja, Santhosh and Sanjeev Nanda. All five work at

Cognizant Technology Solutions' Sholinganallur and MEPZ campuses in Chennai.

Their approach is simple: rather than just donating money or arranging food deliveries, they visit institutions, organise the cooking and personally serve meals to people who may not receive regular assistance.

A friendship that turned into a mission to serve

The initiative took shape in 2020, when the five colleagues connected through common friends and decided to do something meaningful for people…

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