Hunger is one of the biggest problems facing India. There are 190 million hungry people, and the time has come to take steps to eradicate the problem. To build a hunger-free nation, Robin Hood Army (RHA), an international volunteer-based organisation, has taken on the task of feeding the less fortunate with surplus food collected from community feasts and restaurants. RHA is planning to feed one million hungry people across the country as part of their #MissionMillion2018 initiative on Independence Day. Young professionals have teamed up, devoting their free time to fight hunger. Using social media effectively, in three years the organisation has fed 6.4 million people across 77 cities. They raise funds through partnerships and contributions from volunteers.
Talking to Orissa POST, Neel Ghosh, co-founder of the RHA, said that their motive is to build a hunger-free India.
“This Independence Day, we are serving a million meals across India and want to make hunger a topic of national conversation. The meals will go to orphanages, old-age homes, homeless people and ailing patients and their families across the country. The operations will be taken care of by RHA volunteers and logistics and the entire effort will be carried out in partnership with the private sector and media houses. We don’t collect funds or donations for this project because we feel the best way to contribute is through the power of your outreach,” he said.
Bhubaneswar-based Sanjeet Behera, who has been an active member of RHA, said that the main aim is to reduce hunger and wastage of food. “Every Sunday, we go to different places of Bhubaneswar collecting surplus food from restaurants and distributing them to the less fortunate. We have been associated with city-based restaurants who donate their surplus amount to us so that we can deliver it to people who find it difficult to get two square meals a day. There have been instances when hotels and restaurants have donated freshly cooked food,” he said.
Mumbai-based Pooja Dagli, a corporate lawyer by profession, is an active member of RHA and has been associated with the organisation for the past three years. She describes her journey as a learning experience.
“It has been a journey of earning blessings and learning; learning about the severity of the hunger issue despite the existence of resources,” she said.
Pooja feels that social media is the backbone of the Robin Hood Army. It’s about two things, she said: Firstly, it’s about making time for what’s important to you and, secondly, it’s a social and moral duty to share your blessings.
SHABIHA NUR KHATOON, OP