These youngsters make sure poor don’t go hungry

Divya Sharma

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 14

A group of 45 youngsters in the city are making sure that the poor and the underprivileged don’t sleep on an empty stomach. Most of these youngsters in the group are emulating their guides in various educational institutions across the city. So far, they have conducted 19 such drives under the banner of a non-government organisation, Feeding India.

According to their plan of action, they get leftover food from various food joints and then distribute it to the poor on roads, the homeless and the needy. These food joints or caterers provide the food which is then put in plastic plates to be consumed by many. Harleen Kaur, a dental student, said, “I got in touch with my friends after I read about providing the needy with food in a magazine through Feeding India. Feeding India is based in New Delhi. Soon, I started gathering like-minded people around me. It is the moral responsibility of young people to help each other. The young should come forward.

“The idea is to wipe away malnourishment and hunger. Why waste food when there is someone who can eat it, especially in the holy city? Food joints give us a call to collect their leftover food. We collect it and our work begins,” she added. However, they faced their share of hurdles, as, initially, the food joints refused to entertain the concept. Iqbal Kaur, another food activist, said, “The problem is about the shelf life of the food. We are at present approaching caterers to help us in this cause. Green Garden caterers are helping us along with Kobe sizzlers, Ranjit Avenue. We take the leftover food and distribute it as soon as possible. Giving happiness to the hungry through our little efforts is worth it.”

Members of the group seek that more and more people should understand the cause of saving extra food and say no to wastage.