Momin Saqib of the viral ‘Maro Mujhy Maro’ meme fame was recently named a Commonwealth Youth COVID-19 Hero at the 2021 Commonwealth Awards for co-founding the One Million Meals initiative.
The news was first shared by his alma mater, Kings College London, in a tweet that read, “Congratulations to @mominsaqib (@KCL alumni, former @kclsu President & King’s staff) on being named a Commonwealth Youth COVID-19 Hero at the 2021 #CommonwealthYouth Awards for co-founding @onemillionmeals!”
Congratulations to @mominsaqib (@KCLalumni, former @kclsu President & King's staff) on being named a Commonwealth Youth COVID-19 Hero at the 2021 #CommonwealthYouth Awards for co-founding @onemillionmeals!🎉@commonwealthsec @serviceatkings #WeAreTogether https://t.co/erm9VgoK6j
— King's College London (@KingsCollegeLon) March 11, 2021
Appearing on ARY News’ Bakhabar Sawera, Momin shared how the initiative of providing healthy food to those fighting against COVID at the frontlines was made possible.
“This initiative started as an emergency response to the COVID crisis,” said Momin. He explained how he managed to get a restaurant CEO on board and then reached out to Kings to get in touch with hospitals.
“We started coordination between hospitals and restaurants through which we were able to provide free meals to doctors, nurses, and whoever needed fresh food at hospitals since the cafeterias were under immense pressure as well,” he shared.
Momin has since taken to Instagram to share how humbled he is for the accolade. “One Million Meals was a simple emergency response to the COVID-19 crisis in the UK, where our team got a chance to serve the community and support frontline keyworkers,” he explained.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMxRI1AB7ks/
“Social work is not something that needs to be done in our free time, it is our responsibility as global citizens and has to be at the center of our being! Even a smile that spreads kindness could move people around you,” he added.
Momin’s initiative was able to provide more than 100,000 meals at the height of the pandemic, which he says they were able to achieve because of a special edge. “David Beckham came on board and supported the campaign, and even Aamir Khan, the boxer supported us.”
“When such influential names came on board, their voices really amplified the initiative. In addition to that, I can’t emphasize enough how helpful the volunteers were… as they say, teamwork makes the dream work,” said Momin.
Congratulations to Momin for the incredible feat!