A CSK diehard, software professional Balakrishna Maturi does not miss a ‘yellow’ match. Besides the men in yellow, he roots for a cause.
In the recent match, he joined other volunteers and held a placard (with these lines “Yellow Fans Never Waste Food” and “Do Not Waste Food, Please”) for people entering the gallery to see.
A social media post from non-profit No Food Waste inviting volunteers to join them brought the 28-year-old to the stadium from his home in Siruseri. The current season of the Indian Premier League is the second edition in which the non-profit has been working to keep food wastage to the barest minimum.
“I volunteered for two matches at the stadium. During one, I spread awareness about the cause among the crowd before they started eating. During the other, I distributed the surplus food collected from the stalls to the needy,” says Balakrishna.
Similarly, a group of youngsters led by Hasini Lakshminarayanan, a nutrition ambassador, went around the stands and raised awareness about the cause.
No Food Waste is satisfied with its run this season as its analysis of food collected and distributed during the IPL matches shows food outlets have become more conscious about the issue of food wastage. Besides, it ranks of volunteers has swelled.
“We had an average of 15 new volunteers every match,” says R Arun Kumar, regional director, No Food Waste.
Many stayed back after the matches to collect the food and help with distribution and some even offered to ferry the packets in their vehicles.
Arun says this time they delivered the food packets to areas as far as Tambaram.
“While we gladly take surplus food that is fresh and fit for consumption, our first priority is to ensure people manage food wastage on their own,” says Arun.
A tea franchise educated its staff about food waste. Arun observes, “Such interventions is the actual success of No Food Waste.”
