A standard meal consisting of Dal/Sabzi + Roti/Rice + clean drinking water is being provided to homeless and stranded people under the initiative “Feed the Need”. Lawyer Anshul Chowdhary aimed to feed the poor and the homeless in South Delhi amid the health crisis due to lockdown. Feed the Need is an initiative of Chowdhary’s own restaurant operating in Delhi, The Food Therapist.
The Campaign was started on February 28, as a one-time programme to feed 400 people. However, Chowdhary found that the quantity of the food was not sufficient to feed everyone who turned up, which exceeded the 400 limit.
The initiative was also promoted as a “crowd funding project” to increase the food quantity. The food production stands at 26,000 meals per day and the total tally of meals since the inception of Feed the Need initiative is at 2,51,300 as on April 17.
Discussing the initiative, he said:
“We were realizing that the demand for food is at all-time high. Government ration is only being given to those with a ration card and the food being served by the government authorities is not fulfilling the demand as the population remains a big challenge. We took help from our volunteers who marketed and arranged for funds from family and peers on short notice. Two persons who are key persons in the campaign are Dr. Parikshet Sirohi, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi and Nysa Verma who have been in on the campaign since day 1.”
Food operation strategy to feed the homeless during lockdown
There are 8 volunteers set up and divided in groups of 2, location-wise. The food when prepared is transported to the respective food stations at designated spots, where local volunteers are ready and food recipients are made to stand in a queue while observing social distancing norms. Video calls are also conducted with the volunteers to ensure the systematic distribution of the food
Sanitation principles
Chowdhary also pointed out the sanitary measures taken, like PPE kits, masks and gloves are used while serving the food, reasonable precautions such as monitoring the cooking staff and quarantine measures are adopted. Social distancing is maintained during the food distribution amongst food recipients and volunteers, a handwash soap dispenser has also been placed at all food distribution stations for the benefit of the food recipients.
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As a message to other lawyers, Chowdhary says,
“We as individuals from the legal fraternity have been saving the day for many clients since the day we stepped into our offices and courtrooms, now it is the time to save the day by doing the best of what we can during this pandemic. Apart from donating, measures such as spreading the message of protecting oneself, taking care of all those working with us in our offices can also go a long way. In short, as a lawyer, any act that collectively helps us steer through the COVID-19 situation in the best manner possible would be ideal to face this multi-faceted problem.”
