Robin Hoods for a cause: Surplus food for the hungry

Bengaluru: Every day an army of volunteers - students, working professionals, homemakers and others - step out of their homes on a mission to collect surplus food from restaurants, corporate offices, weddings and other functions across the city and distribute it to nearest slums.

This Robin Hood Army, which has over 25,000 volunteers globally and operates in 120 cities and 13 countries around the world, has fed more than 13 billion people in a span of five years.

The city's Robin Hood Army is spread across the city in eight chapters. The volunteers pack the surplus food in boxes brought by them and distribute it to people on footpaths and slums.

"The 'Robins', as we call ourselves, follow three major rules - We are a zero-funds organisation, we don't take money and we don't give money. We are an apolitical organisation and welcome people from all religions and communities. Our motto is that the food we serve is fresh. Before taking the leftover or surplus food from anywhere, we personally taste it and then distributing it," said Mr Abhishek Singh, the head of Bengaluru Chapter.

The volunteers, dressed in green shirts sporting a picture of Robin Hood, do not have any storage facilities, heating appliances or an office. The process starts with their social media or Whatsapp group. "There is no money involved or hierarchy in our work. We have divided the city into eight chapters - Bengaluru north, south, east, west, central, HSR Layout, Magadi Road and Electronic City. To simplify the process, our volunteers use Facebook and Whatsapp to connect with each other," Mr Singh said.

The Robin Hood Army consists of many working professionals who get convince caterers/canteens in their offices to pack the leftovers. "During our lunch hour, we make sure that extra food in our canteens is packed and given to us. We take these packages and hand them over to nearby slums and people on the street who hardly get food in the middle of the day, especially during summers," said Mr Singh.

Many restaurants, like Rahams, Meghana Biryani, Lalit Ashok and many small eateries, and private donors have partnered with the Robin Hood Army as a "zero food wastage partner".

"We have partnered with many donors in recent years and they have actively been a major part in our food drives. They have been a pillar to us and we really appreciate their efforts," said Ms Kruthika, a software professional and a 'Robin'.

The volunteers get calls both from regulars and first-time donors, saying they have surplus food. The volunteers use large containers donated to them by many companies as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative and pack the surplus food in them. "At many functions, especially weddings, approximately 5-10 kg of food is wasted every time. On the other hand, 20 crore Indians go to sleep without food every day, and it pains me to see the two extremes. This is the prime reason why I was joined the Robin Hood Army," said Mr Singh.

The Robin Hood Army also runs a Robin Hood Academy, where students are taught basic maths, English and soft skills through food as a medium. "We use food as a medium to educate children. It is normal that many children don't want to attend classes for English, maths or science. With food, we establish a rapport with children by asking them about their dreams and ambitions and slowly slip in the educational matter to them," said Mr Singh. During many of the drives, 'Robins' try to educate children about "good touch, bad touch", menstrual hygiene and many such issues.

"We take children out for movies at malls. Bookmyshow is one of our prime sponsors who along with PVR or Inox collaborate and allow the children to experience the feel of movies in theatres. Many eateries come forward to give these children lavish meals as part of their corporate social responsibility initiative," said Mr Singh.

"The Robin Hood Army looks for a future where there is absolutely zero wastage of food and no person goes to bed without having a proper meal," Mr Singh said.