Ernakulam (Kerala): On a busy day at one of his many shops spread across the area, a local vegetable vendor Jefi Xavier saw a man searching for consumable vegetables dumped in the shop's waste bin. Jefi was taken aback by the incident and went up to the man to ask why he was doing so. "It was a cancer patient who was struggling financially. He had no money to meet his treatment expenses and living costs. That day, I decided to donate vegetables free of cost to cancer patients once a week," Jefi Xavier told ETV Bharat.
In Jefi's shops, which are spread across several areas including Kalur, Aluva, Pulinjodu, Angamali, and Vytila, one can easily spot a board saying 'vegetables free for cancer patients'. He has been doing this for the last five years and has benefitted several patients so far. About 200 cancer patients are now availing of this facility at Jefi's shops. Despite the deadly pandemic and the hurdles that came his way, Jefi did not stop the distribution even during the Covid lockdown.
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He personally delivered the vegetable kits to the houses of the patients who regularly collected vegetables from him. He was also actively involved in other social work during the pandemic including the distribution of food kits, vegetable kits, and television sets to children for attending classes during Covid. Jefi has gained fame for his generosity and kindness across the city, while people who are actually in need of what he is offering are extremely grateful for his noble initiative.
Noted oncologist, Dr V P Gangadharan is one of the prominent figures in the city who went to Jefi's shop to congratulate him for his deed. Jefi, on the other hand, says that he derives satisfaction from his contribution and would like to continue doing so for a longer time ahead.
