National Food Bank Day 2022: India, the world’s second most popular country, is home to a sizable 17.7% of all people [1]. Meeting the needs for food production and availability for such a big population has always been a huge challenge. In the early post-independence decades of 1947, the country experienced serious food grain scarcity. During this period, imports of key food grains, especially wheat and rice, increased steadily while exports remained limited.
The agricultural policies of the Indian government began to change greatly after the 1960s. Land reforms, irrigation project building, enlargement of cultivated areas, strengthening of rural credit institutions, and key policy interventions such as minimum support prices, subsidies, and the acquisition, storage, and distribution of food grains all played a part. The green revolution’s embrace of intensive farming techniques from the mid-1960s to the 1980s—which included high-quality, high-yielding variety seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation facilities—turned out to be a game changer.
Between 1950 and 1980, food grain yield doubled, and by 2010, it had quadrupled. Major food grains were no longer imported, and exports grew dramatically after the 1990s. India is currently the world’s biggest producer of milk, as well as the second-largest producer of rice and wheat. In 2017-18, a staggering 277.49 million tons of food grains were created. Despite these commendable achievements in self-sufficiency and agricultural output, India’s food security condition could be more encouraging. According to the Global Hunger Index, India has “serious” hunger, number 102 out of 117 countries.Â
National Food Bank Day Purpose
According to Mahatma Gandhi, there are people in the world who are so poor that they think God can only appear as a plain loaf of bread. After reading this incredible message, we participated in thoughtful reflection. Despite progress made by countries such as the United States and India, there is still a large amount of hunger in the world.
National Food Bank Day serves as a painful reminder to continue supporting food projects that aim to reduce hunger and increase access to tools for nutritional sufficiency. The rising cost of living, combined with inadequate pay, has resulted in a bleak reality in which the underemployed and unemployed fight to make ends meet.
Many people must make the tough decision of whether to feed their family or their pets. Unexpected financial problems do arise from time to time, but the good news is that people do not have to give up their beloved pets. Food banks have helped 42 million Americans who would otherwise go hungry due to illness, unemployment, or other unexpected events.
People are urged to uphold the ideal that no one should go to bed hungry on National Food Bank Day. Following the widespread disruptions caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, it is now more important than ever to join effectively in the national hunger-reduction campaign.
National Food Bank Day Significance
Every year on September 2, the first Friday in September is National Food Bank Day. This one-of-a-kind day is committed to raising awareness about the global hunger crisis. Despite the fact that food banks receive attention and funds throughout the year, National Food Bank Day is a solemn commemoration that emphasizes the critical need to end hunger.
National Food Bank Day serves as a warning that no one should have to go to bed hungry because hunger remains a problem in our global community. Food banks are critical in tackling this issue because they assist the underprivileged through donations, social worker activities, and the distribution of tools for nutritional sufficiency.
This day is set aside especially to recognize and appreciate the tireless efforts of volunteers, staff members of food banks, and nonprofits fighting hunger. It acts as a group flashback with the common goal of ensuring that the less fortunate can eat healthy food.
Despite the abundance of food available in the world, ten people die from hunger every ten seconds. This tragic figure stresses that the problem is an unequal distribution of food, not a scarcity of it. On National Food Bank Day, we should all take a moment to think about how we can all do our part to close the nutrition gap and move toward a world where everyone has enough food.
Celebration Ideas For World Food Bank Day
To promote mindfulness and awareness, mark National Food Bank Day. This straightforward but powerful method motivates others to assist and support hunger relief organizations. When posting about the day on social media platforms, use the designated hashtag to make a big effect.
Consider giving money or volunteering at your local food bank if you want to make a difference in the world. Most food banks accept cash donations or nonperishable food items; however, before donating perishable items, check their specific rules.
Our contributions help food banks and prevent starvation, both noble causes. Be mindful of food waste, and if you’re holding an event, collaborate with a nearby food bank to ensure that any excess food is distributed to those in need.
Let’s start a hashtag movement called #FeedForPoor. If you have extra food, post a message so that others can take it and feed hungry people. We can remove hunger, the world’s most serious threat, if we work together.
Importance of National Food Bank Day
By joining Public Food Bank Day, you can help those in your community who are in need. Please make whatever contribution you can; it will help both the environment and the underprivileged. We advocate for resource conservation rather than resource waste, which lowers food waste. Public Food Bank Day serves as a powerful lesson to be grateful for all that we have.
This special day causes us to be more thankful and appreciative of the many blessings in our lives. It’s a good time to reflect on how important it is to value what we have. When one considers the stark truth of rising poverty, the inevitable result becomes increasingly clear.
The exhaustion of food workers and the unwavering dedication of those trying to provide this vital assistance highlight the critical importance of programs such as Public Food Bank Day. Though the noble efforts to reduce hunger in our communities are inspiring, the result shows that Public Food Bank Day has a rightful place in history and will continue to be an important occasion.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL FOOD BANK DAY
By giving to the cause, you can make a difference in the lives of your coworkers, neighbors, friends, and children. Consider working at a food bank in your area. Every day, they accept cash and nonperishable food gifts. Check their needs list to see what fresh things they currently require.
Give a shout-out to your neighborhood food bank and make a social media pledge to support #NationalFoodBankDay. Food banks are critical in helping the country’s 42 million men, women, and children who cannot afford their next meal. These problems may arise as a result of events that could happen to any of us, such as illness, job loss, or unexpected changes in our lives.
They are helping food banks improve the lives of low-income families by allowing parents to eat with their children without thinking about them going hungry. Food banks are a lifeline for people on limited means. Furthermore, many food banks provide training programs to help people get better and start over. Surprisingly, people who have benefited from these programs frequently volunteer and give to the same food banks that helped them feel less hungry in the first place, creating a positive feedback loop that helps others in need.
Where is the first food bank in India?
Delhi
“India’s first food bank inaugurated in Delhi as part of new network”. The Hindu. 9 June 2012.
The Center announced the opening of the country’s first Food Bank in New Delhi on June 8, 2012, as part of the India Food Banking Network (IFBN), with the ambitious goal of eliminating hunger in India by 2020. Ms. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi, and Prime Minister Advisor Dr. Sam Pirroda jointly launched this innovative project.
According to Dr. Pirroda, the Food Bank brings together the public and private sectors, as well as non-governmental groups, to combat hunger and malnutrition in the country. He emphasized that food banks are present in over 30 countries around the world and that they were created to provide a common area where the government, businesses, and civil society organizations can pool their core skills in order to develop effective hunger relief strategies.
The food bank’s operational protocol is meant to be straightforward. When the Food Bank learns of a possible donor or contacts someone ready to donate food, it will coordinate with its logistics partner to pick up the donated goods from the donor’s home and deliver them to a prearranged warehouse. The food items would then be picked up from the Delhi Food Bank warehouse by the organizations in charge of feeding programs, allowing for a smooth and effective handling of hunger relief.
How many food banks are there in India?
There are 350 Food banks in India with email lists.
The pandemic emerged as a major driving force behind the rise in the use of food banks in India, helping to legitimize and create feeding programs. Vishal Kumar, the CEO of Feeding India, observed that the changes brought about by the pandemic became a motivating factor, especially in terms of increasing the use of food banks. Feeding India works with the government on a variety of feeding projects, including relief efforts, schools, and rural childcare facilities.
One noticeable shift was the increase in the number of organizations that transitioned from being hyper-local to national players, focusing on food and nutrition security projects. This shift is the result of everyone working together to handle the increased challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Organizing food drives at nearby stores or supply stations proved to be a successful strategy during this time. People take part in these drives by purchasing excess food and depositing it in marked collection bins. People can also give excellent food items that they may not need, such as unused jam, spices, mayonnaise, and other jars. Furthermore, grocery stores actively help to ensure food security for those in need by donating a portion of their inventory to food banks.
What is the Food Bank Initiative in India?
India FoodBanking Network brings together the government, private sector, and NGOs to fight hunger and malnutrition in the country. IFBN is establishing a network of transformational Food Banks to systematically capture food from donors and channelize it to the institutional feeding programs.
Millions of lives in our country are lost as a result of food shortages, but despite rising food needs, an amazing 25% of food is wasted as leftovers. The goal is to save the lives of those who are suffering by making it easy for surplus food to be distributed to the less fortunate. The suggested course of action is to develop a mobile application that will serve as a platform for collecting leftover food from various sources and quickly distributing it to those in need.
With a single click, this innovative system speeds up the process and sends food donations to designated sites where they can be given to those in need. MySQL drives the application’s backend, and its front end is built with CSS Android. By making this small change, the system hopes to save lives by ensuring that excess food ends up in the hands of people experiencing poverty, thereby encouraging a more humane and sustainable approach to food management.
Are there food pantries in India?
Govt.
Multiple ministries put in concerted efforts to provide food assistance under the public distribution system. India Food Banking Network (IFBN) is a not-for-profit organization with a national network of foodbanks to fight hunger & malnutrition in India.
Food insecurity and malnutrition are being tackled collaboratively in India by the government, NGOs, industry, and civil society as part of a comprehensive effort. The goal is to build a strong ecosystem for food recovery, food banking, and food sharing, all while promoting sustainable food practices.
It’s promising that these efforts have yielded fruit. In the last year, India has seen a staggering 250% rise in the amount of food distributed through food banks. In 2022 alone, renowned groups such as No Food Waste, India FoodBanking Network, and Feeding India served 6.4 million people, including schoolchildren, migrant workers, and those living in poverty.
What is another name for a food bank?
Food pantries and food closets are terms that are often used interchangeably to refer to smaller, local organizations or programs that directly distribute food to individuals and families in need within a community. These organizations typically provide emergency food assistance to those facing food insecurity.
Food banks are nonprofit groups that provide free food to those who are food insecure. Food banks, as opposed to government programs that give people money or vouchers to buy food, directly provide food to those in need. Food banks act as intermediaries between those who give food or money and those in need of food assistance.
Food banks provide a variety of services, based on how they work, such as obtaining and delivering food, renting space for organizing, sanitizing, and storing food, cooking, and putting together grocery parcels. Food banks may be funded by public, private, or a combination of these organizations, and they may be handled by a variety of private entities, including community volunteers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and faith-based organizations.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations’ State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World study [7], 194.4 million people in India are malnourished. Furthermore, over the last five years, India’s average per capita availability of food grains has been 177.12 kg, which is significantly lower than Bangladesh, China, and the United States, where per capita availability of food grains in 2015 was 200, 450, and 1100 kg, respectively [8].
Food banks are admirable institutions on a global scale, and much research has been performed to examine various aspects of their operations. Previous research has looked into topics such as predicting supply donations, managing supply donation uncertainty, exploring the relationship between food banks and food insecurity, and understanding the mental health views of food bank patrons in different geographical areas.
This paper is split into the following sections: Section 2 provides an extensive analysis of relevant literature, establishing the research context for food banks and outlining the barriers to their widespread implementation in India. Section 3 gives a brief overview of the DEMATEL approach and the DEMATEL-based ANP method, followed by an explanation of the corresponding findings in Section 4. Section 5 critically examines the obtained findings.
