Response to Flash Floods in Feni: Coast Foundation provides 23,000 cooked meals through community kitchen

With Feni under water, cooking has become impossible for many people in the district.

In response, Coast Foundation has formed a community kitchen to serve cooked meals to flood-affected people in Feni, distributing food to eight shelters across the region.

One of these shelters, Abdul Karim High School in Daganbhuiya Upazila, provided refuge for around 400 people, all of whom received cooked meals from the Coast Foundation.

This initiative has so far delivered 23,000 meals in the past seven days, with the ongoing support of Start Fund Bangladesh.

A specialised team of Coast Foundation’s shelter management experts is working alongside local kitchen staff to ensure efficient food distribution.

The shelter management committee is also actively involved, facilitating the delivery of 1,400 cooked meals daily across the eight Coast Foundation-managed shelters, said a Coast Foundation press release.

Coast Foundation’s Executive Director Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, along with senior officers, was present to oversee the operation and interact with flood victims.

After inspecting the quality of the food being distributed, including bread and milk, the team ensured the delivery of meals to 400 people, including children.

Chowdhury said, “We believe this assistance is the right of the flood-affected people facing an unexpected disaster. It is not a donation or an act of generosity.”

Local authorities in Feni district have restored critical infrastructure, including electricity, mobile networks, and major supply roads. Remarkably, the district town of Feni has not experienced any load shedding in the last 48 hours, demonstrating a swift response by the district administration.

The ‘Cooked Meals through Community Kitchen’ initiative was initially funded by Coast Foundation’s own resources before Start Fund Bangladesh joined to scale up the response.

Beyond food provision, Coast Foundation has been actively involved in emergency rescue and relief operations since the flood disaster began, working in Feni, Noakhali, and Comilla districts.

In collaboration with four local NGOs in Noakhali – CWDA, OPCA, PRANTIC, and PRAAN – Coast Foundation has also distributed dry food packages, bottled water, and oral saline to various shelters, providing critical relief to those in need.

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