Sheila inaugurates India’s first food bank
9 Jun 2012 8:16 AM GMT
Delhi will soon be the first city in the country to set up food banks through which cooked and uncooked food that are in excess will be collected from wedding receptions, parties, social functions, hotels and individual donors for distribution among hungry and poor people.
The scheme is being modelled on the lines of food banks in Chicago in the US.
The launch of the first ever India Food Banking Network (IFBN) was announced jointly by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Sam Pitorda, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.
Pitroda said the infrastructure for collecting and distributing the food is being developed in cooperation with the Delhi government, DLF Foundation, Reliance Foundation and Cargill India.
According to him, food donors can send an sms to 58888 following which IFBN volunteers will collect the food items. Those who need food can also send an sms to the same number.
Complementing the IFBN for the ‘unique’ project, Dikshit said her government will sign an MoU with India Food Banking Network to facilitate the functioning of Delhi Food Bank.
Dikshit said an efficient food storage and distribution system was necessary as hundreds of tonnes of food articles rot in India due to lack of storage.
The Food Bank project has been launched after a comprehensive three-year feasibility and site analysis in Delhi under the leadership of Pitroda.
The IFBN is in the process of setting up a network with community groups, NGOs and the government for distributing food to the hungry people.
An IFBN official said, a network of cold storage and other required infrastructure is being set up for the project.
The scheme is being modelled on the lines of food banks in Chicago in the US.
The launch of the first ever India Food Banking Network (IFBN) was announced jointly by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Sam Pitorda, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.
Pitroda said the infrastructure for collecting and distributing the food is being developed in cooperation with the Delhi government, DLF Foundation, Reliance Foundation and Cargill India.
According to him, food donors can send an sms to 58888 following which IFBN volunteers will collect the food items. Those who need food can also send an sms to the same number.
Complementing the IFBN for the ‘unique’ project, Dikshit said her government will sign an MoU with India Food Banking Network to facilitate the functioning of Delhi Food Bank.
Dikshit said an efficient food storage and distribution system was necessary as hundreds of tonnes of food articles rot in India due to lack of storage.
The Food Bank project has been launched after a comprehensive three-year feasibility and site analysis in Delhi under the leadership of Pitroda.
The IFBN is in the process of setting up a network with community groups, NGOs and the government for distributing food to the hungry people.
An IFBN official said, a network of cold storage and other required infrastructure is being set up for the project.
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