A group of youngsters have embarked on the noble act of collection of leftover food in the weddings and other events to feed the needy and destitute instead of letting it go waste.
Drawing inspiration from the first batch of five food collectors including three girls, several others have joined the initiative in the last three years.
Good Samaritans
“We have fed nearly 17,000 people on the streets and other areas where the poorest of the poor accept our food. We have attended more than a 100 weddings apart from other events to collect the food,” said M. Bhargav.
Mr. Bhargav had given up his job in the Information Technology field to dedicate his time to the initiative. At least 20 active food collectors including more than 10 girls registered an organisation, Helping Spot, to extend their services. “After convincing my parents to allow me to join the group, I have prepared myself to perform my task 24x7 now,” B. Gayatri told The Hindu. Ms. Gayatri holds a BE degree in engineering. The team has formed five groups to attend to phone calls for collecting the food on shift basis.
Overwhelming response
“We are receiving at least five to six calls a day from the town and the outskirts. We do attend every call and distribute it in various pockets, beginning from Machilipatnam, Gudivada and Pamarru based on the availability of the quantity,” said Mr. Bhargav.
Inviting volunteers
The team visits the local engineering colleges where they speak about their services and invite volunteers to extend their services.
“Sometimes my family members too join me as they understand the seriousness of our activity,” said L. Sukanya. Unable to bear the financial burden, the Helping Spot is now engaged in raising the fund to purchase a truck for food collection.
