Team Herald
CANACONA: Shouldering social responsibility is nothing new for this retired British couple, who is in Agonda since August last year.
This time, from their own resources 63-year-old retiree Rowena Fuller, her husband Peter Fuller, who have associated with a popular restaurant at Agonda beach, are feeding the stranded migrants in Agonda since the COVID-19 lockdown.
Rowena, who has till now served 1300 meals, said there is no satisfaction in the world other than what she and her husband are doing by feeding the migrants from their own resources and help they get from others.
What is pertinent to note is that the couple has been fostering children in France for the last 32 years and the nationwide lockdown has given them another opportunity to help the needy in a different way.
Rather than fly back home like many other tourists have done, they chose to stay back in Goa and accomplished what they term as call of duty from their heart.
The Fuller couple is thankful to the owner of a popular restaurant, famous for its delicious dishes at famous Agonda beach.
“As we didn’t know anyone around to cook around 65 meals a day, we approached this popular restaurant and the owners without any hesitation supported our idea. The restaurant owners are also bearing some of the cost for which we are grateful,” Fuller said.
Steve Rodrigues, the restaurant owner, which has become a brand in Agonda for its mouth watering dishes cooked under the supervision of his mother Fatima Rodrigues, said they are cooking 65 meals in evening for the stranded labourers.
“The meals include rice, fish curry and vegetables. Looking at the humanitarian work of the British couple, we have kept the cost of the meals to bare minimum just to cover up the ingredient cost” Steve added.
There are around 100 migrant labourers stranded in Agonda since Goa sealed its borders with the neighbouring States.
“Normally, they earn around Rs 350 per day but since most of the money they earn is sent to their families back home they live a hand-to-mouth existence in the rented premises in the village,” Rowena informed.
These labourers hail from Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, she informed.
Looking at the plight of these migrants and of their little kids, the Fuller couple without any hesitation came to their rescue and since then the duo has been feeding the labourers the night meals.
Rowena informed that till now they have served 1300 meals, which has cost them little over Rs 1 lakh, which they had kept aside for their onward journey to South Africa.
“After we ran out of cash we approached different people and now some friends have sponsored the meals by directly sending money to the restaurant’s account,” Fuller said.
“Now it’s little easier for the labourers as government authorities have chipped in as well, as they have provided these labourers with dry food etc, I am informed,” she added.
“Assuming that the lockdown will be in force till May 3, we will be serving over 2000 meals to the needy labourers. This enormous task wouldn’t have been possible without the support from the restaurant owners and the kind donors, and we are equally indebted to Santosh Bandekar, who is supplying these meals to the homes of these labourers,” Fuller added.
