“When I first heard about the devastating floods in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, I was in Hyderabad. The news was shocking, and I knew I had to act quickly, and decided to reach the flood-affected regions of Vijayawada. I released a poster, initially planning to serve around 20 people daily with essentials like medicines, food, water, and milk funded entirely from my salary. However, what happened next was beyond anything I expected.
I was soon overwhelmed receiving over 500 calls per day for three days straight. People thought my number was an official disaster management hotline. Hearing their desperation, I knew our small effort had to scale up quickly. I reached out to my circle of friends and family, raising 7.1 lakh INR and mobilizing over 50 volunteers. Despite challenges—like the cracked Nandigama flyover—we made our way to Vijayawada, determined to provide relief.
By Day 2, we had a system in place. Volunteers were divided into different teams, and we conducted meetings to assess the situation. The scale of the need was overwhelming, but we managed to distribute food to over 1,000 people on the first day alone. Since then, we’ve distributed about 18,000 food packets daily, with meals prepared in Vijayawada and Machilipatnam regions and transported to the flood affected areas in Vijayawada.
One call that moved me deeply was from a woman in Singh Nagar, Vijayawada. She had delivered a baby just two days before the floods and was stranded on her rooftop, surrounded by floodwaters and snakes. Her situation was dire, and we made sure to prioritize her area for relief.
Navigating through narrow lanes filled with a mix of floodwater and drainage, our team faced significant challenges. We distributed milk, water, and medicines, walking 5-6 km into the worst-hit areas like Singh Nagar, Raja Rajeshwari Peta, Kabela, Pipeline Road, YSR Colony, and Tota Vari Veedhi. Singh Nagar and Vombay Colony were especially devastated, with water levels reaching 10-11 feet. We also coordinated the evacuation of about 300 pregnant women and young mothers as well as 50 old-age people using tractors in Rajiv Nagar.
Our Helping Spot Organisation which I started in 2015 after resigning from my job as a Junior IT Officer at Krishna Patnam Port, has always focused on education and healthcare. But this flood crisis has shown us that our mission extends to immediate disaster relief as well.
Every month we collect 2 tons of excess food for food distribution from the Marriages, Hotel venues and family functions. We also provide ongoing support for education, with 28 education sponsorships and 25 medical sponsorships. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we distributed 45,000 meal packs, with my wife—who was seven months pregnant at the time—cooking and volunteering alongside me.
The Helping Spot Organisation was born from a desire to support the underprivileged through education, sanitation, and healthcare. Our mission is to uplift those in need and create sustainable change, while our vision is to build a community where everyone has access to basic necessities and the opportunity to thrive. This flood relief effort has been a powerful reminder of how much we can accomplish when we come together, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved without crowdfunding—just the support of our own circle.
Now, as the floodwaters begin to recede, we continue our efforts, knowing that the road to recovery is long. But with the support of our volunteers, government officials, and the community, we are on a war footing to help those in need.”
- Bhargav Ventrapragada, Founder of Helping Spot Foundation