Patna Diocese Distributes 2,000 Blankets

An intense wave of cold took 26 lives in Bihar from 5th to 7th January. But it did not stop there. The frigid conditions were expected to continue for another four or five days.

A team from Believers Church Patna Diocese set out the night of 7th January to give blankets to people still in danger of freezing. The group was led by Rt. Rev. M.A. Lalachan. From 8:00 pm until midnight, they visited the railway station, slums, Patna Medical College and Hospital and other needy areas.

They found many children and elderly people sleeping outside, and wrapped them in blankets. Many recipients shed tears of gratitude as they received their free blanket, never expecting someone to come in the middle of the night with such a gift.

One of the 12 hospital patients who received a blanket was an abandoned four-year-old named Choti. She was born blind in both eyes. “Nobody is here to help her and nobody to serve her,” said Gurjeet, who works among the hospital’s destitute. Choti is just one example of many in Patna who are struggling to survive.

“It is our uncompromising vision and mission to love our neighbours as ourselves,” said Bishop Lalachan. Altogether, the diocese distributed 2,000 blankets to those in need. This was part of a larger initiative by Believers Church to protect the vulnerable from the bitter cold of this winter.