Question 1

How severe is the issue of hunger in India?

Accepted Answer

Over the last few decades, our country has progressed multi-folds - won the Olympics, eradicated polio & achieved many more milestones. However, we are yet to solve one of the most critical challenges that affect the lives of millions of Indians - Hunger.

The Government of India has undertaken many reforms to ensure better nutrition and food security for all and India has made decent improvements in the nutritional status of children (we’ve noted a reduction in child wasting and stunting).

Despite the progress made, malnutrition and hunger are very much prevalent in India. With nearly 195 million undernourished people, India shares a quarter of the global hunger burden. Cases of anemia have increased in women and children, and we also see a large number of people, especially women and children still suffer from micronutrient deficiency disorders. Furthermore, since 2020, the pandemic has resulted in restricted income and diminishing savings, pushing many others to face the brunt of hunger.

There is a need for constant support and contribution from individuals and organizations. Through the Daily Feeding Program, Feeding India enables the most vulnerable to break free from the cycle of poverty by providing daily meal support.

Question 2

What are the possible causes of hunger in India?

Accepted Answer

21% of the population in India live on less than 145 rupees per day, and lack the resources to cover their necessities such as food, shelter, water, and medical expenses, making it the biggest cause of hunger in India. Food insecurity refers to limited access to regular, nutritious food that allows a person to lead an active life. As there is a lack of resources for people to meet their basic needs as a family, it aggravates the state of hunger on an individual level. In India alone, there are 52 crore people who fall under the moderate to severe food-insecure brackets. With a diet that is lacking in quality as well as quantity, malnutrition affects individuals on a short-term and long-term basis. Malnourished women give birth to malnourished children and these families are likely to catch infections, and diseases and have a higher mortality rate, entrapping them in the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger. India, being an extremely disaster-prone country with 27 of 29 states being at risk to natural calamities, is more vulnerable to hunger. As floods, landslides, and more can destroy crops and livelihoods, this increases the cost of food which further aggravates hunger in vulnerable communities. The Covid-19 pandemic pushed an additional 230+ million people to fall under the poverty index. As people lost their jobs and families lost lives, the lockdown and the distressing effects of it on people made the already severe problem of hunger even more acute.

Question 3

What is Feeding India’s mission?

Accepted Answer

Feeding India aspires to solve hunger in India by helping vulnerable communities
                achieve food security and a sustainable livelihood.

Question 4

What is Feeding India doing to solve hunger?

Accepted Answer

With the Daily Feeding Program, Feeding India has been providing daily meal support
                to underserved communities. The aim is to enable the most vulnerable to become financially
                stable in the long term, by solving hunger for them in the short term. Presently, Feeding India
                is active across 38 cities in the country, working with credible local NGO partners who support
                the marginalized, so that hunger doesn't come in their way of breaking the cycle of poverty.

Question 5

How can I be a part of Feeding India’s journey to a hunger-free country?

Accepted Answer

100% of all your donation will go towards serving meals. You can choose to donate a custom one-time amount or subscribe to our monthly giving program and show continued support to the mission to achieve zero hunger in India. If you’re a corporation, we partner with organizations that share our common vision to end hunger in India. You can sign-up for payroll giving, organize employee engagement activities, raise awareness, and plan customized campaigns to contribute. NGOs in need of food support can reach out to us to become partners to help serve meals to their beneficiaries. If your NGO has the necessary documentation and the ability to help transform lives, please feel free to reach out to us. We have a fair and transparent way of selecting our food vendors for cooked meals or raw grains. Our cooked meal kitchen partners help us serve meals across the country to vulnerable communities in their areas. Meals are prepared by kitchen partners at a fixed cost and picked up by NGO partners who transport them to the distribution spots. If you have a kitchen space, dedicated staff, and a shared vision to end hunger, reach out to us at contact@feedingindia.org. You can also get in touch if you supply raw grains. We are currently revamping our volunteer program. You can reach out to us at contact@feedingindia.org and we’ll get back to you once we launch.

Question 6

How do I donate to Feeding India?

Accepted Answer

Contributing to solving hunger in India is easier than ever. You can donate an automated amount or
                pick a custom amount you’d like to contribute. Donations can be made once or you can sign up for
                monthly giving, which is an easier and automated way of contributing to the cause. 100% of all your
                donation will go towards serving meals

Question 7

How is my donation used?

Accepted Answer

100% of all your donation will go towards serving meals. That is no administration
                fee is deducted from your donation and all of it is spent on serving meals. Once
                we receive your contribution, the funds are allocated to the NGO partners who identify
                vulnerable communities in need. These funds are then used to provide food support to
                the beneficiaries through daily cooked meals or ration kits, basis their needs.

Question 8

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Accepted Answer

Yes, donations made to Feeding India are tax-deductible under Section 80G
                 of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Question 9

How can I get my 80G certificate (for tax purposes)?

Accepted Answer

Form No. 10BE (“Donation Certificate”) as required by you for the purpose of availing tax deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961, shall be issued at the end of the relevant financial year, within the stipulated time as may be prescribed under applicable laws. It may be noted that the Donation Certificate shall be sent to you over the email address provided by you at the time of making the donation(s). In the event the Donation Certificate is not received by 31st May following the end of the financial year in which the donation has been made, you may reach out to us at contact@feedingindia.org, latest by 15th June following the end of the financial year in which the donation has been made.

Question 10

How can I unsubscribe to the monthly donation?

Accepted Answer

To cancel your monthly donation subscription, please write us an email at contact@feedingindia.org. Alternatively, you can visit the unsubscription link in the confirmation email you received upon subscribing to cancel your subscription.

Question 11

No refunds policy

Accepted Answer

Donations made to Feeding India are non-refundable.

However, if you have signed up for monthly donations or payroll giving at your company, you can choose to unsubscribe from those at any time.

Question 12

We would like to donate. How can we partner with Feeding India?

Accepted Answer

We are always looking for organizations to partner with us who share our common goal
                to end the hunger crisis in India. If you’re interested in becoming a corporate partner,
                please visit this page here.

Question 13

Are there any employee engagement programs available?

Accepted Answer

If you’re seeking out other ways to participate by involving employees, we have several options available for employee engagement where you can support the cause as a team.

Feeding India can organize volunteering opportunities for employees where they can go out into the field and help serve meals to our beneficiaries to get a more hands-on, immersive experience that would stay with them forever. Please write us an email at contact@feedingindia.org.
Sign up your company for payroll giving, which would allow all employees to donate monthly to the cause, through hassle-free donations that are directly taken from their salaries. These donations are also tax-deductible and an easily executed CSR initiative.

Question 14

How do we sign up our company for payroll giving?

Accepted Answer

We’re so glad you asked! To sign up your company for payroll giving,
                you can reach out to us here and we will help take it forward.

Question 15

How can an NGO partner with Feeding India?

Accepted Answer

If you’re an NGO looking to partner with us, you can write to us at contact@feedingindia.org or visit the link here to register.

Question 16

What kind of NGOs does Feeding India support?

Accepted Answer

We work with NGOs that share our vision and are passionate
                about ending hunger. NGOs who work with slum schools, environment
                or rural development, hunger-specific organizations, women's welfare
                organizations, NGOs for the elderly or transgender community, skill development
                centers, or those with a project that is central to helping food reach people in need.

Question 17

What kind of support does Feeding India provide?

Accepted Answer

We provide support, most commonly, in the form of cooked meals through our Daily Feeding Program.
In places where cooked meals are not a viable option, we provide ration kits that can sustain a person for an entire month.
We also provide in-kind donations, contributed by our partners, like wellness kits, packaged food items, or other such necessities.

Question 18

As an NGO, what are the prerequisites for partnering with Feeding India?

Accepted Answer

An NGO partner should have the following documents for us to be able to go ahead with the association:

a. NGO registration certificate,

b. 80G certificate,

c. 12A registration,

d. PAN card

If you have all the above documents, write to us and we’ll reach out to you soon.

Question 19

How can I volunteer with Feeding India?

Accepted Answer

We are currently in the process of reworking our volunteer program. You can reach out to us on contact@feedingindia.org and we’ll get back to you.