Food which is waste for someone, must be made best for someone’ is the motto with which the NGO- Helping India Feeding India (HI-FI) is working and bringing a change in the lives of the underprivileged since its inception in December 2016.
Started in Hazaribagh, the organisation now works in eight cities across Jharkhand- Ranchi, Chatra, Chaibasa, Deoghar, Latehar, Dhanbad and Koderma with about 350 volunteers. In the next few months it will have its wings in Jamshedpur and Tilaiya as well.
“While the entire world was celebrating Christmas in December 2016, they were some children who were trying to satiate their hunger from a heap of garbage in Hazaribagh. The sight not only disheartened me but also turned out to be the stepping stone for my project,” said the founder of the organisation Abhijeet Kumar.
The primary objective of HI-FI is to collect leftover food from hotels, restaurants and banquet halls, do a quality check, identify slums in a particular city and distribute it there.
HI-FI has managed to salvage about 1000 Kgs of rice, 750 Kgs of pulses and more than 600 Kgs of vegetables from being thrown and used it for feeding the poor. Till date the organisation has fed about 1,50,000 people.
The Ranchi chapter of the organisation was started in December 2019. Presently it has about 30 active members and 60 volunteers working across the city.
“At present we have a tie up with the hotel Capitol Residency from where food is acquired on a regular basis and distributed in the slum of Nivaranpur. It is our endeavour that at least one proper meal a day reaches such people. During the winter months, we have also distributed old clothes, shoes, and shawls amongst the needy,” said Tanushka Singh, a city based volunteer.
The NGO got registered under the Trust Act of India in Hazaribagh in September 2018 while it became a partner with the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) - the apex body for food protection in August 2019.
“The initiative started with feeding two children at home on a regular basis. With the neighbours also pitching in to support, the number of people being fed daily soon went up to 15 and now we are proud to be present in eight cities across Jharkhand,” added the budding entrepreneur.
Kumar is also all set to be part of the International Global Network in Jakrata, Indonesia in February to discuss how the model of HI-FI can be implemented across India and also globally.
“Our motto is to make not just Ranchi or Jharkhand but the entire country hunger free. This will only be possible when there is no wastage of food. In just a few months time, the Ranchi chapter has managed to feed about 1500 people across the city,” said Sukant Roy, an active member of the Ranchi chapter.
The NGO is also creating awareness about practicing basic hygiene like washing hands before and after a meal. Efforts to create employment opportunities like tea shacks, pani puri stalls, making paper plates, bowls and glasses are also in the pipeline.
“When we adopt a locality, we also try to make sure that the people living there not only get a proper meal every day but also live in clean and hygienic surroundings.
For this, two people from the neighbourhood are appointed to ensure that that the area is clean with no garbage littered around.
This is not only them responsible but is also providing them with an employment,” added Roy.