As we all celebrate the 70th year of freedom, a youth organisation is all out to battle the biggest threat to our population – hunger. The Robin Hood Army (RHA), an organisation of professionals, students, and mostly youth volunteers, works to feed the hungry every day.
The Robin Hood Army is a team of volunteers who collect surplus food which would otherwise go waste from restaurants and distributes it to the poor and homeless. In the last three years, this passionate team of individuals from different walks of life has served food to over 2.1 million people across 41 cities.
On the eve of Independence Day, they launched a campaign to fight hunger. #Mission1Million, which the Robin Hood Army calls its ‘largest war against hunger’ – aims to bring together the private sector and civil society to feed one million hungry people this Independence Day in both India and Pakistan. #Mission1Million aims to collect and facilitate a million meals that will go to orphanages, old-age homes, the homeless, and even the patients in hospitals.
The major idea behind this unprecedented project was to raise awareness about the national hunger problem (more than 200 million hungry). As a part of the initiative more than 10,000 ‘Robins’ will manage the operations across 41 cities across India and Pakistan.
Speaking to News18, Aarushi Batra, co-founder of the Robin Hood Army, said, “As the youth of our nation, it is imperative that we take the onus, stop blaming the state for everything, and use our skills and collective network to make a real difference.”
RHA works only through partnerships and volunteers and doesn’t take any donation or funds.
Meanwhile, a large number of DU students join the organisation every year. “The learning benefit and the social, as well as EQ that we learn, is a boon for us,” says Samikshya Samantaray who works as a volunteer at RHA. “The self-satisfaction of working for the underprivileged and giving something back to the society is invaluable,” she adds.
During previous I-Day celebrations, RHA undertook two campaigns – Mission100K in 2015 and Mission500K in 2016 – and the response was massive. They shot past their target, as volunteers from all parts of the nation contributed to the initiative.
You can be a Robin too. To join Robin Hood Army, click here and follow the details.
Srivedant Kar