On Thursday, mid-day reported that Sonu Sood is lending a helping hand to the residents of the flood-affected regions in Maharashtra (One lakh milk packets will reach areas, August 6). Now, Salman Khan has thrown his weight behind the relief efforts as several towns in the Konkan coastal belt are reeling under the devastation. The superstar, on Thursday, dispatched five tempos containing essentials to Chiplun, Mahad and other villages near Mahabaleshwar. The vehicles were flagged off by Aaditya Thackeray, state’s cabinet minister of tourism and environment.

Rahul N Kanal, Yuva Sena leader and president of I Luv Mumbai Foundation, which is coordinating the relief efforts along with Khan, says that the actor reached out to him as soon as word reached him. “We have sent 500 ration kits. Every kit contains five kilos of rice and wheat each, two kilos of dal, one litre oil, one kilo tea powder and two kilos of mixed spices. We have also sent 50,000 bottles of mineral water, 5,000 sanitary napkins, and 50,000 biscuit packets. Additionally, we have provided utensils and some ready-to-eat meals. Our [volunteers] will hand it over to the locals,” says Kanal.

This is only the first step of an extensive plan to help the citizens get back on their feet. He says that the next lot of trucks will head out as soon as they receive fresh stock. “On our next trip, we will send clothes, utensils and other items. Salman bhai has requested us to ask locals about their requirements.”