Local communities in Bangkok who rely on the informal economy were unable to leave their homes due to strict lockdown measures. With heavy cases of COVID-19 clusters in Bangkok, many communities, especially those that are in overcrowded and economically deprived areas, were unable to leave their respective locales to earn a livelihood.
Project co-leads agreed to launch prompt and urgent help to benefit the communities as a whole since it would not only mitigate the problem of hunger, but also prevent further spread of COVID-19. Imm Tong team raised funds to ensure food security and provide sustenance during this crisis for 28 COVID-19 hard-hit communities across Bangkok and prevent new potential clusters.
Within 2 weeks, the Imm Tong team collected almost THB 655,520 (USD 20,000) and distributed 26,357 warm meals to 28 communities in Greater Bangkok. To multiply the effect, the Imm Tong team cooked these warm meals using locally-sourced agricultural products from Thai farmers and fisherman (purchased over 183 kilograms of fermented fish, 2 tons of rice, 1.4 tons of halal-certified chicken, and 70 kg of garlic) whose livelihood has also been disrupted as supply chain throughout Thailand were affected.