We see hunger stricken people at every nook and corner. We empathise with them, often give them some money to eat, but more often we, at our own homes, parties, offices etc. feed the trash bins with leftover food. Do we ever ponder upon this?
Probably the same thought struck the minds of five young working professionals behind “Feeding India” a year back. But unlike you and me they didn’t just let this thought fly away. Instead they decided to counter the problem of hunger and food wastage with a single idea- and so was born Feeding India. Started with just 5 members, it has grown into a big family with over 800 student volunteers across 15 cities.
Feeding India is a not-for-profit social enterprise that strives to channelise surplus food from individuals, households, weddings, parties, organisations etc. towards the hungry and deprived poor. They don’t believe in creating new food for the less privileged. Rather they direct the excess food towards the needy. Being one of its kind, FI has served over 250,000 people since its inception in August last year. Every time any of its members complete the food cycle of picking up excess food and delivering it to the needy, they give them the title of “Hunger Heroes”, who by their awesome work are changing and sustaining lives.
The working of “Feeding India” is quite simple. Anybody with a gathering of over 50 people and excess food can call their volunteer living in the vicinity. Just as people call caterers for food, florist for decorations, a band for music, they now also call “Feeding India” for managing the leftover food after the event. It is now an emerging trend that is affecting the lives of thousands of deprived people every day. In return, all that FI expects from the Event planners is to cover the transportation costs incurred by the organization in collecting food.
A revolution, as the young Hunger Heroes call it, FI aims to expand its operations to over 20 cities by the end of this year. They focus on creating a four-fold impact on the society. They wish to ensure more equitable distribution of food (economic), provide wholesome meals (nutritional), enable nutrition for those who can’t generate income through working (social) and direct excess resources for a better use, reducing carbon footprint (environmental).
Next time you organise a party, add Feeding India to your guest list. You can visit their Facebook page or website to reach them. We wish them all the very best for in their innovative and life-altering venture.
Image Credits:
Tanya Agarwal
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