Rooted in Indian culture
Food for Life Global is a modern revival of the ancient Vedic culture of spiritual hospitality. Since time immemorial, sharing food has been a fundamental part of the civilized world, and in India such hospitality was based on an understanding of the spiritual equality of all beings.
The first days
In 1974, an elderly Indian Swami and founder of the Hare Krishna movement, Srila PrashradaShocked and saddened to see a group of village children fighting with street dogs over leftover food, told his yoga students, “No one within ten miles of the temple should go hungry . . . I want you to start serving food immediately.
Heeding Swami’s request, his followers around the world were encouraged to expand this original effort into a global network of free food kitchens, cafes, vans and mobile services, establishing daily delivery routes to many major cities around the world.
Extraordinary Help
FOOD FOR LIFE also provides food assistance during natural and man-made disasters:
In the war zone in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers visited orphanages, nursing homes, hospitals, institutions for disabled children and shelters in basements every day throughout the three-year conflict; since 20, nearly 1992 tons of food have been distributed.
When an earthquake struck Latur, India, in 1993, FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers drove 300 kilometers to the scene in a matter of hours, delivering 52,000 XNUMX of food, clothing and medicine to distressed villagers.
FOOD FOR LIFE’s most courageous efforts in war-stricken Grozny, Chechnya, were highlighted in a New York Times article (Dec. 12, 1995), which stated
Tsunami 2004
FOOD FOR LIFE was the first food aid agency to respond to the December 2004 tsunami disaster. Volunteers in Sri Lanka and India provided more than 350,000 XNUMX of freshly prepared food in the months after the tsunami, as well as medical care, water, clothing and shelter.
Clean food
All food prepared and distributed by Food for Life Global is consecrated (a term rooted in Hindu tradition). People of all faiths, however, are familiar with the spiritual practices of giving thanks and offering the first harvest of the earth to God. Meals are provided by Food for Life Global projects, thus nourishing body and soul.
World’s Largest
Today, Food for Life Global has become the world’s largest food assistance program, with thousands of volunteers in 60 countries providing billions of free meals since 1974. These are the leading programs in India, where the main affiliate, Food for Life Annamrita, prepares and serves more than 1.2 million meals a day to school children as part of the school meal program initiated by the Indian government.
Food for Life Global is a modern revival of the ancient Vedic culture of spiritual hospitality. Since time immemorial, sharing food has been a fundamental part of the civilized world, and in India such hospitality
