Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Mr. Sam Pitroda, Adviser to PM launch Delhi FoodBank
Community must take responsibility to feed local hunger
City Government to sign an MoU with India FoodBanking Network to facilitate functioning of Delhi FoodBank.
SMS Short Code Service to give and get food SMS: givefood to 58888 or getfood to 58888 to integrate the donors and seekers of food to connect the surplus with the deficit
Separate FoodBanks at District levels planned by India FoodBanking Network.
Aim to eliminate hunger from India by 2020.
8th June, 2012, New Delhi.: Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit and Mr. Sam Pitorda, Advisor to Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations., today announced the launch of first ever India FoodBanking Network (IFBN) in New Delhi. The FoodBank was launched after a comprehensive three-year feasibility and site analysis, under the leadership of Mr. Pitroda. They also launched websites of India FoodBank Network and Delhi FoodBank the toll free SMS Short Code Service – to get or give food. SMS givefood to 58888 or getfood to 58888 which will integrate the donors and seekers of food thus connecting the surplus with the deficit.

In a nation that grapples with hunger and malnutrition, the first step to eradicate this dilemma is to set-up a process that brings efficiencies in distribution and delivery of food. This is turn will augment and support the food security mission in India. The FoodBanking allows donors to gain access to a safe and efficient distribution channel that provides an outlet and an effective system for donated or procured food that will reach those that need it most.

Announcing the launch, Smt. Dikshit said, “it has been our endeavour to reach out to every citizen of Delhi with safe and wholesome food and the Delhi Government has programs like ‘Aap ki Rasoi and ‘Janahaar’. Apart from this the City Government is all set to implement Delhi Annshri Yojana to provide cash transfer subsidy at the rate of Rs 600 pm to the poor households other than households covered under BPL and AAY schemes. In all 6 lakh families will benefit after implementation of Delhi Annshri Yojana Establishment of FoodBanking network is a great initiative towards the eradication of food hunger. I’m very pleased to announce the launch of IFBN and the Delhi FoodBanking Network (DFBN) and would like to extend a note of congratulations to the individuals and organizations that are making a real difference in the lives of many with their generous support.” Smt. Dikshit also stated that her Government will sign an MoU with India FoodBanking Network to facilitate functioning of Delhi FoodBank. She appreciated efforts of Shri Pitroda who is striving hard to eliminate hunger from India by 2020. Smt. Dikshit stated that the community must take active role in feeding local hungry. Smt. Dikshit further stated that City Government would like to have details from India FoodBanking Network so that hungry people could be approached properly with the help of volunteers. Smt. Dikshit stated that despite bumper crops in our country food rotting is being noticed. There are manifold problems and systems in our country are not simple enough, this makes cumbersome to muster volunteers to overcome difficulties. Smt. Dikshit announced that a separate website of Delhi FoodBank will be launched in order to make available all information easily. The FoodBank will definitely bring donors and seekers together and will become an asset to the community.

Dr. Sam Pitroda, Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations, quotes “The launch of the India FoodBanking Network is an occasion to collectively communicate to the nation that we will indeed eliminate hunger in India by 2020 and begin this journey together. The idea for IFBN emerged from discussions with the Global FoodBanking Network in Chicago, and FoodBanks are operational in more than 30 countries across the world. I have always believed technology can greatly help in solving issues related to hunger and through this launch we will bring technology, logistics IT, and involvement of the local community to feed their own community. IFBN is an effort to bring the government, private sector and NGOs together to fight hunger and malnutrition in the country.”

FoodBanks will help create a converging space for the government, the private sector, civil society and NGOs to channel their key capabilities towards a common mission: social and economic development through hunger relief management. With the implementation of the Delhi FoodBank, IFBN looks forward to highlighting a successful model that can be replicated on a national level so that by 2020 every district of India has access to a FoodBank.

The Delhi FoodBank works within a simple process where a DFBN receives information about a donor or is contacted by a donor who wants to offer food. DFBN then contacts the logistics partner to pick up the donated products from donor location and deliver it to DFBN warehouse, which serves a number of institutional feeding programs. The food products are then collected by organisations running feeding programs from the Delhi FoodBank warehouse to aid their beneficiaries.

Creating an effective alignment between the public, private and voluntary sector, Delhi FoodBank provides more food enabling scalability of existing feeding programmes, continuous supplies of essential staple food requirements, and through this technology driven processes the promise to deliver the right aid to the right people at the right time.

India FoodBanking Network (IFBN) of the Food Security Foundation India is a national level project started under the leadership of Mr. Sam Pitroda, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Public Information and Infrastructure and Innovation and with the support of organisations like Cargill India, DLF Foundation and Reliance Foundation, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Global FoodBanking Network and is implemented and made operational by Aidmatrix Foundation. IFBN works with a vision to support thousands of existing feeding programs and create a minimum one FoodBank in each district of India by 2020.

About Delhi FoodBank:

Delhi FoodBank aim to create a system that provides relief in the face of immediate need as well as a support and service that helps reduce this need in the future. In this manner, we not only serve the critical purpose of feeding and providing nutrition in the short term, but also become essential community assets that help break the cycle of poverty over time by providing access to linkages benefitting children and their families for healthcare, education, livelihoods etc. for integrated development objectives for a productive and socially stable society.

We believe that our shared capabilities can make the most basic aspiration of universal access to food, a reality. We have high quality and standards for processes leveraged by technology to get the right aid to the right people at the right time.

We believe in a banking system that feeds, empowers and transforms lives. Our transformational currency is food, and for many in Delhi NCR, this is the most valuable asset they can hope to own.

Our mission is to connect nutritional food with the hungry, in a systematic and technology driven process that is lean, efficient and a realisable way to end the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

http://www.delhifoodbanking.org
http://www.indiafoodbnaking.org