Influential Figures

Feeding India: Ankit Kawatra’s Fight Against Hunger and Food Waste

The world would be a much better place to live if we could conquer hunger. Feeding even a single person is a godly act. A man’s true wealth is the good he does in this world. In our country, where lakhs of people can’t manage one square meal daily, we see several tons of food waste daily. An appalling figure suggests that more than 22 crore Indians sleep hungry every night. More than 20 lakh Indians die every year due to hunger.

In such circumstances, Ankit Kawatra emerged as a savior for hungry souls. A young, dynamic and effervescent lad of 23 years, Ankit started a youth volunteer organization, ‘Feeding India’, to tackle the two major problems of food wastage and hunger. Belonging to a family of businessmen, Ankit Kawatra has attended several big fat Indian weddings. On one such occasion, he had a harsh realization. With a staggering list of 10 thousand guests and over 35 cuisines, he wondered what would happen to all the food that would go uneaten. His curiosity about the leftover food gave him jitters when he saw the entire food being thrown away.

A shocked Ankit, with further inquiries, came to know that surplus food in Indian weddings and parties is mostly thrown away in the bins. The painful sight gave him the idea to start a service that would donate the leftovers to people experiencing poverty and people in need. This is when Ankit, with his friends, founded Feeding India, an organization that would collect excessive food from parties, events and weddings and feeds the hungry. The organization’s motto is not to create new food but not to waste the food. Only a few youngsters leave their high-profile and lucrative jobs for society, but Ankit Kawatra has set up a live example of serving the nation by feeding people experiencing poverty and those in need.

Ankit and his bunch of volunteers are active in several cities in India, particularly in the metros. They are also operational in cities such as Lucknow, Bhopal, Agra and Jaipur. Feeding India organization is a bunch of passionate youngsters who want to be agents of change in society. They have also collaborated with several NGOs and several shelter homes. Feeding India also has a 24×7 helpline that can put excessive food to better use. The team dispatches to collect the leftover food after getting a call. To get constant and regular access to food, the organization has partnered with several restaurants and caterers to preserve the food and handover to them. Ankit and his group also initiated campaigns such as the magic truck and world food week. Several corporate houses have partnered with Feeding India as part of their community social service.

Ankit Kawatra’s superb initiative has received tremendous recognition and an overwhelming response from all quarters. He is surely an inspiration to several youngsters and has motivated them to be agents of change in society. The strong determination, willpower and commitment shown by Ankit and his team has fed more than 4.5 lakh people across India. Ankit Kawatra’s organization Feeding India believes food security today would result in a healthier and more productive India of tomorrow.

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