NEW DELHI, September 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Getting Nutritional Food to 2.5 Lakh People Who Need it the Most
In Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), shockingly there are still as many as 2.5 lakh households, over 700,000, people suffering from hunger and poor nutrition.
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To respond to these pressing needs, in Delhi NCR and to mark the globally renowned FAO World Food Day, the first ever Food-A-Thon is being launched in India from 1 September - 16 Oct 2013. The Food-A-Thon is a ground-breaking online and grassroots campaign. It calls on private, public and NGO partners to join in and take action to make a much-needed contribution to feeding programs in and around the capital area ,which provide wholesome nutritional meals to those who need it the most.
Indian cricket team's leading batsman Virendar Sehwag, while supporting the campaign said, "I would like to congratulate Aidmatrix for taking the much needed step to fight malnutrition in a focused manner and to encourage all participating individuals and companies to help and contribute in this unique Food-A-Thon. Batting for Food Drives will bring the change to fight against malnutrition in India."
Hunger and malnutrition remain critical issues in India. Simply put, underprivileged people are either not getting sufficient quantities of food - meaning they either go hungry - or do not receive the right sort of nutritious food (called hidden hunger) to help nourish and sustain themselves. This feeds into a continuous cycle of urban poverty which affects the ability of entire families to work and be healthy. It is estimated, for example, that a plate of wholesome and nutritious food costs a mere Rs.16 per plate, less than a packet of chips or a single bar of ice cream - highlighting that cost effective and simple interventions by individuals and organizations can really make a huge difference.
"We are extremely excited to participate in the first ever Food-A-Thon and are encouraging our member companies to participate actively to get nutritional food to those who need it the most. FoodBanking is supported by many US- based companies globally and we are very much looking to make this successful in India," said Ajay Singha, Executive Director, The American Chamber of Commerce, India.
The Food-A-Thon campaign, which has attracted over 33 leading companies, is encouraging 'food drives' or donations of key Indian staples including rice, wheat flour, edible oil, dalia and pulses. Many more companies are expected to participate during the Joy of Giving Week in October 2013.
All individuals, organizations and private businesses are encouraged to join the Food-A-Thon campaign. The campaign is not only in need of motivated individuals who could volunteer to collect food from friends, colleagues or peers, but also supportive businesses who could potentially match employees donations or provide additional food items.
A kilo of rice costs as little as Rs. 25. Only seven kilos of rice are needed to feed 100 hungry and undernourished people per day. So the idea of creating real and sustainable change by engaging motivated individuals and partners in private sector companies, schools and colleges serve the undernourished and hungry population is an opportunity not to be missed.
"Food-A-Thon is a great initiative and we are very pleased to be associated with Aidmatrix Foundation in an endeavour wherein we can give back to the communities where we live and work", says Tanuja Kehar, Vice President Corporate Communications, Unitech. She added, "Through our CSR Group, Unitech participates in various activities that create social, economic and environmental benefits for the communities and the Food-A-Thon is one such initiative that we are supporting."
"The Food-Drive Challenge this year is being run as Food-A-Thon across September and most of October through which Food-Drives are being run. This has generated enormous support and we believe over 200 companies/institutions are expected to participate and provide food to serve the 2.5 lakh vulnerable households across Delhi by providing nutritional support across 32 feeding locations in Delhi, NCR constituting of schools, shelter homes, orphanages among others. The objective is to create sustained giving of food to secure the nutritional needs, which is made possible with the generous support of individuals, companies, schools and RWAs who participate on an ongoing basis through the year," said Kuldip Nar, Managing Director, Aidmatrix Foundation, Asia.
We are Thankful to Unitech and Cremica for being our Associate Partners.
This year we are happy to announce the partnership with Cargill, India which will launch The Gurgaon FoodBank to help leverage the FoodBanking system based on a baseline need analysis conducted. The Gurgaon FoodBank will also operate as an Integrated Development Exchange where companies and implementing partners will have opportunities to collaborate on education, sanitation, health, skills and employment linkages along with food being the foundation for social stability. Please let us know if you are interested in being a part of the Integrated Development Exchange.
Support the Food-A-Thon at your workplace, institution or even your neighbourhood. It is also important to note that while we value all staple food donations, we value nutritious food the most. For instance, fortified oil or fortified wheat flour can go a long way in addressing hunger, but can also play a key part in tackling malnutrition, as they contain essential vitamins and minerals.
About Delhi FoodBank
Delhi FoodBank, operationalized by Aidmatrix Foundation, the first ever FoodBank in India was launched in June 2012. The program saw massive participation from a number of corporates, NGOs, professionals, as well as students.
The FoodBank services over 32 feeding centers locations where partners distribute the collected food in Delhi NCR: at schools, shelter homes for women, night shelters, orphanages, and via various partners caring for migrant populations and underprivileged populations in general.
The Food-A-Thon is being held to benefit and serve the undernourished and hungry vulnerable population in Delhi & NCR and also to advocate and implement national action. The FoodBanking system is focused towards providing a nutritional wholesome plate
For more information about the Delhi FoodBank, please visit www.delhifoodbanking.org and http://www.facebook.com/delhifoodbank
To access further information on World Food Day see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Food_Day
To Give Food: SMS GiveFood to 58888
Primary Media Contact: Nimisha Sachdeva, [email protected], 91-9818520776
Secondary Media Contact: Jatin Dhall, [email protected], 91-9811342299
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