A grandma from Yorkshire has been giving out free vegan meals to NHS workers and the vulnerable, including the elderly and those shielding from Covid-19 at home during lockdown.

Akila Chokkalingam has made thousands of meals from her kitchen in Keighley, West Yorkshire since the pandemic began last year. Akila had to take on new staff to cope with the demand for takeaways in the area and has seen a whopping 680% increase in sales since the first lockdown.

Akila was quick to support her local community and was soon delivering curries to hospitals in the area and doing drop-offs to vulnerable people shielding at home. In total, more than 2,200 meals have been donated for free since March 2020.

The chef’s efforts have been felt much farther afield too, thanks to a scheme which has seen a meal donated to children in India for every meal bought back in the UK. As a result, her company has donated an incredible 50,000 meals across India.

Akila said:

We are incredibly grateful to have experienced such a growth in 2020, and even happier that we were able to give something back during the pandemic.

The heart-warming project in Keighley is just one of hundreds, maybe thousands of local food initiatives to support those who have been impacted the most during the pandemic. One food charity announced this weekthat it has shared 128 million meals in a year, thanks partly to the support of England footballer Marcus Rashford in efforts to children in needs.

Akila’s range of food is registered with The Vegan Society’s trademark and the charity was quick to praise her efforts.

Ericka Durgahee, Business Development Marketing Manager at The Vegan Society, said:

It’s fantastic to see a company that is registered with the Vegan Trademark going above and beyond for those in need during what has been an incredibly difficult year.

Image by The Vegan Society