On paper, working hours at the No Food Waste (NFW) office in Chennai — like at most of their centres across India — begin at 8.30 am, and end at 11 pm. But on the midnight of September 11, volunteers of the not-for-profit were still at work, serving biryani to 250 people at Koyambedu market.
That’s what NFW volunteers do: hold surveys about people and their income levels to zero in on “hunger spots” that really need food; coordinate with donors; figure out logistics of packaging and transportation; travel around the city picking up food, checkingfor quality, packing it hygienically and serving it to those who need it.
Till date, the Chennai chapter of the Coimbatore-based organisation has served 85,000 meals. If you want to help, but don’t have the time or effort required to volunteer, do not worry. There are other ways in which you can help them help the hungry.
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As a food business
In August alone, the Chennai operatives of a leading food delivery app provided 1,582 cancelled food items to the needy, via No Food Waste. Individual restaurants and chains like Chai Kings and Old Madras Baking Company have similar numbers to quote of their own. “We go into contract with these businesses, once they call our helpline,” says Arunkumar, coordinator of the Chennai chapter, “The outlet in-charge or sales manager of each of these outlets in the city are added to our WhatsApp group. They message us about their cancellations of the day, and also when a bulk cancellation happens.” NFW usually arranges for pickups after the order spurts during lunch and dinner each day, “and sometimes even after breakfast”. Most of NFW’s contracts of this nature are about two months old, and they are on the lookout for more businesses to tie up with.
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As a corporation
On Independence Day, Freshworks, a software company based in Perungudi had arranged for a special, traditional lunch for its employees. Sizeable amounts of s ambar, rasam, poriyal and fried rice ended up being in excess — the software firm and the caterers mutually decided to call NFW. The fresh food, that would otherwise have been discarded as leftovers, turned out to be enough for 200 plated meals for the residents of Taramani slum.
The firm is one of NFW’s frequent donors: canteen excesses, untouched, are directed to the not-for-profit on a regular basis. There are others, too, who go beyond a one-off donation, and try to make a habit of it instead. Software solutions company Zoho, for instance, gave their canteen excesses to NFW everyday, for the entire month of August.
“We usually get large amounts of food from corporations: since most of them outsource the food service to a caterer based on a broad headcount, and not all employees want to have lunch or special meals at the office,” explains Arunkumar.
Some companies have food to give after a dinner service too, depending on the work hours. This is another case of corporations going into contract with the NGO: “legally, the contracts last for 11 months or a year. But we are happy to renew it if the company wants to.”
As an individual
Resourceful as it is, waiting for food to be left at the end of someone’s meal is not the only way to help the needy. Take, for instance, NFW volunteers Suriya and Chitra Suriya — whom the not-for-profit refers to as its “golden couple”. The Triplicane residents provide home cooked meals to NFW hunger spots whenever time and money allows them. Last week, they collected 220 raw eggs from a nearby shop, boiled them at home in their kitchen, and served them to the needy at Kasimedu fish market.
“Some people have been doing this for years before we came along, and have tied up with us for convenience. Punita Yusuf in OMR, for example, has been cooking lunch in bulk for the needy for the past six years.” All NFW volunteers have to do is reach her home by 1.30 or 2 pm, and the food will be waiting. “Whenever I have gone for the pick-ups, she has fed me the same food: tasty, fresh and hot,” laughs Arunkumar.
As a household/community
Earlier this month, No Food Waste decided to use the zero-waste wedding trends to its advantage. The organisation created a wedding pre-registration link, so that food donations could be planned in advance. These registrations can be done through a Google form link, and have a minimum requirement of 50 plates per event. They are handled on priority.
“Till now, we have about 20 registrations. Just this weekend, we collected 200 to 300 plates from a wedding in Padur. The couple usually helps us transport the food as well,” says Arunkumar.
But you don’t have to wait for a big fat wedding to be generous — you can do it on simple family outings too, provided your family heads to Food Street in Navallur. No Food Waste has installed their Food and Beverage ATM there. Simply put, it is just a fridge that customers can fill with food they buy from any of the outlets at Food Street. In the two months, since it has been set up, the fridge has been filled to capacity regularly, waiting for NFW volunteers to come and clear it away.
To contact No Food Waste, call 9087790877