Run United 2020 For Street Vendors

COVID-19 has brought dramatic changes in all our lives. For many of us, it is a lifestyle change and we learned to cope with it by bringing the outside inside. Meetings have become virtual, WFH is the new normal.

But for the vegetable vendors, flower sellers, iron shop owners, and roadside stall owners, these past few months have been a nightmare. With no daily income, they’re depending on loans to eat even 2 square meals a day, let alone meet expenses. With the cities opening up, they have depleted whatever little savings they had and are now scrambling to get back on their feet. It’ll be a long time before they are able to cope with the situation.

Run United 2020 For Street Vendors is a virtual fundraiser where participants can walk, run, or cycle a specific distance during the Daan Utsav Week. Part of the #UnitedForStreetVendors initiative by United Way Chennai, the funds raised will help us provide a month’s pay to 1000 street vendors & their families so that they may restart their business, buy groceries, pay for medical expenses, etc. On average, we transfer Rs. 5000-7000 to help them tide through these difficult times. Every transfer is made directly to a verified bank account. No cash transfers.

90% of every registration goes towards helping street vendor families across Tamil Nadu. Any additional donation that you’d like to make is appreciated and will be fully utilized for the cause.

What’s in it for you?

Along with the satisfaction of having made a difference to a family in need (talk about good karma), you’ll receive a social media friendly e-certificate, a fashionable mask (a must-accessory now), and a trendy T-shirt. You will be added to a Strava Club where you can interact with like-minded changemakers like yourself, share your daily progress, view motivational updates, and more!

So, whether you walk around the block, cycle on the main road or commit to your daily run, do it with us and help our street vendors stand up again.