Desperate to do what they can to assist families in India and Nepal in the midst of the COVID crisis, the team at The Imperial Hotel and Eumundi Distillers have announced they will donate 100 per cent of the sales from their Folktale Gin to registered charity Forget Me Not Australia for the rest of the month of May.
Hotel and Distillery Manager Paul Thomas said the Eumundi Distillers and Folktale Gin have a long association with Forget Me Not – a Queensland-based registered charity serving to honour the rights of children in India and Nepal and working to ensure children are thriving, vibrant and connected to family, community and opportunity.
“Each bottle of Folktale Gin is embellished with a beautiful, beaded tassel – made for us by Banaras Beads in Delhi, who are also strong supporters of Forget Me Not projects in India,” Paul said.
“We’ve been absolutely gutted to receive the news that the Managing Director of Banaras Beads, our friend Akash Gupta has passed away due to COVID.
“Akash was a fit 48-year-old man, a husband and father of two little girls. He had visited the projects in Kalyanpuri Slums and was diagnosed with COVID 48 hours later.”
The situation is truly catastrophic.
“We are told that loved ones are dying at a rate of one person every four minutes in India; there are next to no ICU beds; oxygen supplies are dwindling; and people do not have access to medical care and medicines,” Paul said.
“And at its most basic, we must remember that if daily wage earners are unable to work today, they’re unable to feed their families tomorrow.”
Paul explains the complexities around burials.
“Hindus must have individual cremations for reincarnation, and every cremation of a loved one requires sandalwood, ghee and timber – all substantial expenses in desperate times,” he said.
“Luckily the team at Forget Me Not Australia have the people on the ground in India and Nepal to ensure funds directly assist people in their time of need.”
For the rest of the month of May, Eumundi Distillers will donate 100 per cent of the sales of any Folktale product to Forget Me Not Australia to help purchase PPE, funeral items and food.
Direct donations can also be made to Forget Me Not Australia at www.fmn.org.au
