DELHI – The Federation of Indian Chambers Of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) Ladies Organization along with women from the Inner Wheel Club and Divya Chaya Trust kept their date with the ISKCON Food Relief Foundation on February 28th. A group of fifty ladies reached the internationally certified kitchen of the foundation well in time for the afternoon tour and presentations.

 

The kitchen has state of the art technology such as an automatic puri making machine and huge stainless steel cookers that churn out tons of rice, dahl and other preparations. It has also been awarded an international Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification. The kitchen currently prepares 125,000 meals per day to 234 schools within the Delhi area. They are expected to step up to 200,000 meals daily, as of July 2009. The ISKCON Food Relief Foundation is a strategic program to liberate underprivileged children from the scourge of hunger and malnutrition.

Mira Goel, chairman of the ISKCON Steering Committee and an active member of these associations, gave a formal welcoming address. After a brief introduction to ISKCON’s social welfare activities, the enthusiastic ladies were escorted around the kitchen. They seemed amazed to see the modern automated equipments, cleanliness and the safety measures adopted by the staff.

Representatives of the organizations came forward with a future proposition to the ISKCON Food Relief Foundation: a generous gift of 1.5 million rupees [US$29,000] and two vans for distributing meals.

They agreed upon the role the Foundation plays in building a healthy nation by providing food and thus facilitating education for underprivileged children. They have a national presence feeding 1,400,000 children everyday in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and other parts of India.

 

The Government of Delhi and the United Nations World Food Program also provide financial and technical support.