Ram Singh, a resident of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh (UP), had come to the Capital three weeks ago, for the treatment of his wife, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Singh, who is already struggling for funds, has been living outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). An NGO has now come to the aid of Singh and hundreds of others like him, by feeding them free meals.
Uday Foundation, which works for the homeless, will now be serving food to the needy people outside AIIMS daily. The NGO is gathering funds for this by collecting and selling old newspapers. On Wednesday, more than 1,500 people were fed and as much as 3,000 kg newspaper was sold for the purpose.
"It was such a pleasant surprise. We have invested most of our money in coming to the national Capital. And now we are trying to save every penny. Then these people came with the food and served it to every single person sitting outside the hospital," Singh said.
"People only waste newspaper. We thought why don't we use them for a good cause. In the last five days, we have received 3,000 kg newspapers, which can be used to serve almost 3,600 people," sai Rahul Verma, founder of Uday Foundation. According to an estimate, 10 kg of paper can serve nearly 12 people. Till now, the meals were being served twice a week but the NGO plans to extend it to the entire week. "We are putting the entire schedule online. People can visit our NGO and donate newspaper. We will then use them for a good cause," Verma added.
On an average, a plate of food costs Rs 15, equivalent to the cost of 1.5 kg newspapers.
COME, BE A PART
- Those willing to donate can visit the Foundation's centre at 113A/1, Adchini, Sri Aurobindo Marg
- Volunteers can also join the team during the food distribution drive
