Human Achievers Awarded to Director of FFL Vrindavan, India.
May 24th
Posted on May 19, 2012 by fflv
Food for Life Vrindavan is excited to share with you that our director, Rupa Raghunath Das has been awarded Human Achievers Award for the year 2012 by the Human Achievers foundation in India. The award was given based on the revolutionary work Rupa Raghunath has done in the field of empowering women and children of the Braj area, transcending racial, national and religious barriers.
Human Achievers foundation felicitate Ambassador individuals, whose lives exemplify the ideal of living for the sake of others, and who dedicate themselves to practices which promote universal moral values, strong family life, inter-religious cooperation, international harmony and the establishment of a culture of peace. The ambassadors of Human Achievers Foundation working for peace, education and empowerment contribute to the fulfillment of the hope of all ages, a unified world of peace wherein the spiritual and material dimensions of life are harmonized.
Rupa Raghunath Dasa had the vision, skills and persistency to develop FFLV from a food distribution program into an organization that seeks long-lasting solutions and effectively helps improve all areas of life in Vrindavan. Now director of a large organization, Rupa still works hard and plays a hands-on role in the day-to-day running of the programs including food distribution. He also spends time traveling overseas, raising awareness about the work of FFLV and establishing relationships with businesses and individuals interested in supporting the children of Vrindavan.
Senorita Isaac, the founder of Human Achievers Foundation (HAF), personally visited the school on the 4th of May 2012 to deliver the award to Rupa Raghunath. She also visited Food for Life Vrindavan Projects and greatly appreciated the work that is being accomplished.
Fiji children getting lunch from FFL
May 21st
Fiji Islands, May, 2012 — Soon after the major flooding disaster that inundated the Western Division of Viti Levu in Fiji, Food for Life Fiji (FFLF) volunteers quickly mobilized their resources to help feed the needy. Their main focus was to distribute cooked vegetarian meals at the evacuation centers and in areas severely affected by the flood.
FFLF Volunteers began distributing food from the Sita Ram Temple in Nadi and Krsna Kaliya Temple in Lautoka. Since the beginning of the relief operation, the Sita Ram Temple has provided a cooking facility, transportation and help with preparing and distributing food in the Nawaka and Navakai areas. Mr. Pandu Das has been coordinating the relief efforts, with Mr. Hari Sauri taking the role of head chef.
In Lautoka, volunteers distributed food in evacuation centres with the help of DISMAC officials. Mr. Kalpesh Patel of Supreme Fuel provided funds and assistance with transporting goods to the Krsna Kaliya Temple and the Jay Dayals Compound in Ba. Mr. Jay Dayal also kindly provided cooking facilities at his home. To date, more than 14,000 meals have been served in the evacuation centres.
Mahasingh Das and his two sons (Sanjeev and Kamal) camped in Ba for 5 days while distributing 1000-1200 meals daily to severely affected villages and settlements. A total number of 7600 meals were given out in Ba. Sacimata Dasi and Radhasharan Das provided help in Ba and Nadi and arranged Donations from Melbourne to prepare food rations. More than 150 families received meals in Ba and Nadi. While Roy and Sanatan Das helped with transport and manpower during the Easter weekend, and Mr. Uday Sen and members of Radio Apna New Zealand procured a massive amount of supplies including rice, dhal, flour, sugar, salt and rotis.
School Lunches
“The second phase of the operation was to serve lunch packs to students in schools in Nadi and Lautoka,” explains FFLF volunteer, Rupanuga Das. Inspiration and help came from Mr. Chandra Shekhar of the Save the Children Fund, who provided Food for Life Fiji with the information that a number of parents were not sending their children to school because they had no food to provide for their children’s lunch. “Seeing this as an urgent need, head chef, Hari Sauri Das, immediately rallied his team to start provided fresh vegetarian lunches for the children, and so far, volunteers have served more than 8000 lunch packs to eleven different schools in Nadi,” he reported.
Meanwhile, an FFL team continues to cook at the Sita Ram Temple in Namaka and we are very grateful to Mr. Manoj and his members. FFL Fiji recently received a major cash donation from Australian Aid (AUD12, 000) and this money is being used to give out lunch packs to affected students. In Lautoka, volunteers have so far distributed more than 12,000 lunch packs to 14 different schools. Appreciation goes out to Mr. Radha Mohini, Mr. Jay Lalita and Mr. Nandanandan Das, who have been loyal and hardworking volunteers in the kitchen.
Mr. Nand Kishore Das has been co-ordinating these relief efforts in Lautoka, while Mr. Shekhar of Save the Children Fund has been providing thousands of dollars worth of food supplies that were donated to Save the Children Fund by FMF. “Our school lunch time distribution will continue for next 4 weeks,” says Rupanuga Das.
This report was compiled by Rupanuga Das.
DONATE now and help continue the food distribution
Mid-day meals nourish 1.2m underprivileged children
30 April 2012
Government of India’s flagship project, ‘Mid-day meals’ continues to nourish more and more underprivileged children, now benefiting approximately 12,00,000 children in India. This is in view of a recent ‘Hunger and Malnutrition’ survey that puts the number of malnourished children in the country at 42 per cent.
Mumbai: Mid-day meal is a strategic program to liberate the underprivileged children from scourge of hunger and malnutrition, this program is a project of the Government of India, and is being implemented by ISKCON Food Relief Foundation under the brand name of ANNAMRITA in selected schools in Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Assam.
ISKCON Food Relief Foundation is a non-profit, non-religious, non-sectarian charitable trust. This project is being implemented in Government aided, and municipal schools for the benefit of underprivileged children. It is done without any commercial motive and the benefits are available to students at large without any discrimination on grounds of religion, caste, creed or sex.
Since the launch in 2004, state-of-the-art kitchens in the above mentioned states have been set up. As of now, the scheme caters approximately 12,00,000 children every day from our centres in Mira Bhayander, Palghar, Nigdi, Tardeo, Juhu, Wada, Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Kurukshetra, Palwal, Tirupati, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Kadapa, Ranga Nara Gadda, Vishakhapatnam, Jaipur, Guwahati, Panipat, Haridwar, Jamshedpur and Ujjain.
Most of these children come from slums and tribal areas. The purpose of implementing this scheme is to facilitate the Government in increasing the enrollment in these schools, reducing the drop out rate, and improving the attendance. Also as these are the formative years for the future adult, therefore nutrition is of prime importance.
Corporate bodies such as Accenture, Piramal Group, Reliance Industries, Sterlite, Apar Industries, Mafatlal Industries, Yash Birla Group, Glaxo Smith Kline, DSP Merill Lynch, JSW Group, Godrej, HDFC, Raymonds have been kind enough to support the program with their benevolence. Individuals such as Mr. Alfred Ford of the Ford Motor Company, Late Shri Sunil Dutt, Smt. Indu Jain have given their unstinted support to bring the program to the present level.
With a generous contribution, for the cause of the underprivileged children in India, ISKON foundation hopes to maximise the capacity of this program by setting up more kitchens to cater to more schools and increase the number of beneficiaries many folds.
The professionally managed Mid-day meal program has trained cooks, who use the most advanced technology in cooking under hygienic conditions using fresh and pure ingredients.
The meals are packed and sealed in specially designed stainless steel containers and are transported in vehicles most suited for the logistics. Cooked in the most cost-effective manner, the nutritious, sumptuous and sanctified meal consists of different menus such as khichadi (a mix of rice, dal and vegetables, cooked in pure ghee with spices and tomatoes), Chapati, Subji, Rice Sambar, etc according to local tastes.
Foundation caters to over 2,75,000 children in Maharashtra daily .
The cost of providing food for 1 child for 1 entire year is just Rs 900
Recently ISKCON Food Relief Foundation participated in the first ever Lifebuoy National Child Health Symposium and Awards. Out of the hundreds of entries received ISKCON Food Relief Foundation was awarded as a leading organisation in the sphere of child health with an outstanding contribution in the area of nutrition.
SOURCE: ONEWORLD South Asia
Fiji Flood victims get help from FFL
Apr 5th
Fiji Islands April 5, 2012
Report by Bir Krishna Goswami
Tens of thousands have been forced from their homes.
A major disaster has just hit the Fiji Islands, in the South Pacific. Torrential rains lasting over a week have caused the worst flooding in the history of the nation. Major rivers have over flooded their banks burying towns along with the their business and residential districts.
Many people were trapped on their rooftops and had to be rescued by helicopters or boats. People lost their lives in the unexpecteded calamity that occured while they were still sleeping in their beds.
Over 25,000 people lost their homes, Approximately 100,000 are without adequate food, water, or clothing. Over 5,000 businesses have lost everything; their stock, their stores, their furniture and will be without any income. The infrastructure (roads,electricity, water supply) is in shambles. Crops are completely damaged. Food is hard to come by and when it is available it is too expensive for most people to afford.
Hare Krishna Food for Life, the world’s largest Vegetarian relief organization has mobilized their resources to feed, and clothe tens of thousands of people. So far over 15,000 people are being fed by the volunteers of this organization. Many people are stepping forward to provide foodstuffs for Food for Life to cook hot meals for the homeless, and clothes to replace the clothes that were destroyed by the floods.
Food for Life can help more people, but their need more resources in the form of foodstuffs, clothes, bedding, medical supplie school supplies, or money.
HOW TO HELP
If you are interested in helping the situation by volunteering or providing any of these necessities contact: Dr. Rajesh Maharaj (Food for Life Fiji Coordinator) at:
Telephone +679 (country code) 992 6349.
Or International Food Life Coordinator BK Goswami at: bkgoswami@earthlink.net
Tax deductible donations can also be directed to Food for Life Global who will be supporting relief efforts. DONATE NOW
FFL in Ecuador
Mar 5th
FFL Ecuador team serving pure food
January 2012 – Winter season came to Ecuador bringing torrential rains and suffocating waves of heat. However, the radical weather patterns were not enough to deter the FFL volunteers from Guayaquil, Ecuador. Taking time out from their busy family lives and business, the volunteers consistently devote time to the service others.
Over 500 people were waiting in the town of El Consuelo to experience the prasadam from Food for Life. The journey there from the FFL kitchen in Guayaquil takes almost two hours. Nonetheless, the volunteers enjoyed the spectacular scenery, watching the dramatic landscapes unfold before them, bedecked with flowers of all colors and lush green vegetation responding to the winter rainfalls. The journey took a little longer than anticipated and so some of the families went home. However, the FFL team immediately went to community leaders to announce from house to house of their arrival. Making use of the bells of a beautiful church, a large crowd once again gathered for lunch! Buckets of delicious vegan rice and lentil stew, pastries and herbal teas were being passed children and adults. The smiles and words of praise kept coming and mental images will last in our memory forever.
The following week, hundreds of others were the beneficiaries of a traditional vegan rice and lentil stew, fried sweets, and aromatic teas, prepared just hours before by a group of enthusiastic FFL volunteers.
Many members of the community and of other organisations join the FFL Ecuador team each week for the experience of distributing free vegan lunches. Some weeks, due to budget constraints, the FFL Ecuador team is only able to feed 300 people, but the joy of helping even a few people with a warm plate of food prepared with love is amazing! Our small gesture of kindness, melts the hearts of everyone and soon their love comes back to use in the form of hugs, laughter and finally running after our car as we try to leave!
Recently, the Addictions Rehabilitation Centre (ACE prison) was chosen as the place to serve our vegan meals. With the help of volunteer Jimmy Cassinelli, we were welcomed by the authorities and inmates of the place. This time, FFL cooks made a special menu of delicious fried rice with an equally rich chili sauce and aromatic drinks. At least 50 inmates enjoyed the experience of pure food made with love.
Information for this report and photos provided by Gopi Gandharvica
FFL Volunteers
To learn more about FFL in Ecuador, see their blog
