Expressions had the opportunity to talk with Arul Nigam, founder of Heroes of COVID. An initiative that delivers curbside meals from local restaurants to healthcare workers in COVID-19 hot spots around the country. He’s 17 years old and a junior in high school and already doing big things! We were thrilled for the chance to talk with Arul and here’s what he had to say.
How did Heroes of COVID come to be?
Charity has always been something very important to Arul and his family. As the COVID-19 Pandemic impacted lives all throughout the country, Arul started thinking about how overwhelmed healthcare workers must be. Especially for the night shift workers, knowing restaurants are closed during the night. That’s when Arul realized he had to do something so he started a fundraiser to raise money to buy meals from local restaurants to provide to hospitals for their workers. That’s when he decided to go bigger and launched Heroes of COVID.
What is the process of getting meals to healthcare workers?
Arul did his research in finding the COVID-19 hotspots around the country that were seeing huge spikes in COVID-19 cases. He then identified and worked with hospitals in those hot spots to make sure he’d be able to provide their workers with meals. The next step was identifying local restaurants in each of the areas in which these hospitals are located. He then partnered with restaurants in cooking and delivering the meals as Arul can’t be present at each hospital for distribution. This is all possible due to the generous donations from people all over the country.
Do you have a business plan?
Arul doesn’t have a formalized business plan but he is gaining a lot of experience. He’s mapped out hospitals throughout the country with a high number of cases. Arul is also using spreadsheets to track expenses he has been incurring. He thanks summer programs at Wharton and MIT Sloan business schools for providing him with skills he’s been utilizing.
To date how many meals have you served?
To date they have reached hospitals in over 20 states and served over 2,200 meals.
What advice do you have for teens who may be thinking about starting their own business?
Arul’s advice is to go for it. Don’t let being a teen stop you from achieving your goals/dreams and starting something new. When he decided to launch this initiative he thought people wouldn’t take him seriously because he’s in high school but now, he’s been on news channels throughout the country!
We thank Arul for this awesome interview! It is amazing to see teens taking matters into their own hands to make a difference. You can learn more about Heroes of COVID by visiting their website at Heroesofcovidinitiative.com and checking out their Instagram page @HeroesofCOVID.