While we all know that there are hundreds in the country who struggle to make ends meet and sleep on an empty stomach, we don’t do much about it. In most cases, due to a lack of time, resources and other factors, we choose to walk away from the homeless and poor, wanting to help but not being able to.
Here’s a social initiative that can help. Bangalore-based ‘Share A Meal’ is a program in which fresh, home-cooked food is collected from meal donors and distributed in slums in the city once every month.
As a volunteer you can either cook food (a meal consists of a rice dish, 4 rotis and a sabzi) or carry food to the needy. No cash donations are accepted, except for a nominal charge of Rs. 10 for a meal pack, which donors have to purchase to pack the food they donate.
‘Share A Meal’ was started by Pinky Chouhan in January 2016 after she read about a similar initiative started by two brothers in America. She discussed the idea with her family and friends and they spread the word, roping in workmates and neighbours. She’d only expected around 100-150 donors but received registrations for around 300 instead! And today, there are more than 85 volunteers involved in the program.
Chouhan modestly says that she just had an idea and it is actually the hard work done by donors and volunteers that has made this program such a success.
So whether you’re an amateur cook or have a little bit of spare time on your hands,‘Share A Meal’ helps you to help the homeless, one meal at a time. To quote them, all it takes is a “tadka of love and a pinch of kindness.”
For more information, visit their Facebook page.
Written by Anisha Kashwani
Featured image source: ‘Share A Meal’ on Facebook
