20th February, Mumbai: Known for his prolific performance in Student of the Year 2, actor Abhishek Bajaj jumped on the bandwagon to eradicate hunger from the slums of Mumbai and spread joy and happiness on the occasion of Random Act of Kindness Day. With his collaboration with the unique hunger alleviation campaign – “Feeding From Far” he fed over 500 underprivileged individuals residing in Machhimar Nagar near Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
As he contributed towards making India hunger-free, he was accompanied by the founder of the initiative Mr. Paritosh Pant. The aim of the drive is to mitigate hunger in India and enable access to basic needs such as food among disadvantaged communities with pointed focus on those groups who are still affected by the gruesome aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The meal kits containing of cooking essentials such as rice (7kgs), wheat (7kgs), dal (1.5kgs), salt (1kg), cooking oil (1l), sugar (1kg), chilli powder, (150gms) and turmeric powder (150gms) costs INR700 enough to suffice a family of five for a week.
Commenting on his association with the campaign, Mr Abhishek Bajaj said, “I am glad to be a part of such a wonderful initiative. Nothing beats the joy of supporting those who genuinely need our help. With the Feeding from Far initiative I got a chance to give back to the community that has always supported me. The happiness on the faces of the residents of Machhimar Nagar after receiving the food packages was one of the most satisfying sights to watch. I am elated to be associated with this generous campaign; our country needs more such initiatives.
The difference between a thought and reality is merely action and I am so proud of Feeding From Far to have taken the first step and laid the foundation stone for a lot of us like me to be able to contribute to community development and improvement.”
Speaking on the same, Mr. Paritosh Pant, co-founder, Feeding From Far said, “We are blessed to have actors like Mr. Abhishek Bajaj join us in our mission towards a hunger-free India.
Imbibing social work for the same as a way of life and not a one off especially for the privileged class is the need of the hour. His zeal towards social welfare and approach towards community development is truly inspiring and fits well with Feeding From Far’s vision to nurture this ecosystem so as to fuel and empower the youth to transform thoughts into powerful actions.
Also, his enthusiasm and involvement with our community stands as a beacon of hope to the beneficiaries. Additionally, his seriousness to make an impact and a difference reassures that our country is moving towards a consciousness that is much needed for its overall growth and development.”
The first seeds of Feeding From Far were sown in 2020, when Paritosh, a social entrepreneur took up the task of bringing meals to people affected by the pandemic. Today, the volunteer-driven programme has distributed over 33lakh meals across Dharavi, Govandi and Macchimar Nagar in Mumbai with the larger vision of making India hunger-free. You can also donate to the crowd-funded initiative and get 80g tax exemptions/benefits as you contribute to the resurgence of the crippling communities.