ISKCON RAJAHMUNDRY FOOD FOR LIFE

Once when Srila Prabhupada was sitting on the terrace of Mayapur centre he saw a child sitting near a waste bin fighting with a dog for leftover food from a leaf plate thrown near the waste bin. Srila prabhupada was moved by that and with tears in his eyes, he passed a mandate that no child should go hungry within 10 miles of any ISKCON centre.

Accordingly all ISKCON centers around the world started distributing food to the street children, old age people and in drought affected areas.

Now the mid day meal program for school children was being implemented in Bombay, Delhi, Kurushetra, Vrindavan, Noida, Jaipur, Orissa, Hubli, Dharwad, Mysore, Bellary, Tirupathi and Rajahmundry, bringing back smiles into the faces of young children.

The mid day meal programme in Rajahmundry started on 17th October 2008, from that day ISKCON Rajahmundry is feeding more than 20,000 school going children in 42 municipal govt. aided upper primary schools .

The Govt. provides free education, But without Food Children are not interested to go to School.

Food For Life Rajahmundry is providing nutritious food to govt School Children of the upper primary schools for almost 1 ½ year.

The recent teachers report gives the following encouraging facts.

• Alleviates class room Hunger.
• Reduces dropouts.
• Improves daily Attendance.
• Increase in Enrolment.
• Anemia down from 40% to 50%.
• Removes Malnutrition.
• Narrows social distance.

The present total cost of the Meal is Rs.6.00. The extra (Rs3.00) cost incurred on the meal is met through public donation.

Hunger Kills 9 Million people every year and 24,000 people every day and out of them 18,000 are children children.63% OF CHILDREN IN INDIA GO TO SLEEP HUNGRY EVERY NIGHT. Half the children in the age group of 6 to 14 years do not have access to primary education. We feel, by subjecting children to hunger, We rob them of their god-given potential. Keeping in view these facts, our Founder Acharya Srila Prabhupada has ordered us that "Hare Krishna Food For life program began in the year 1978 and within a short span of time the program has spanned the globe and is now active in hundreds of cities and towns Worldwide.

ISKCON'S Mid day meal program aims to liberate the Underprivileged children from this vicious cycle. ISKCON, Rajahmundry resolves to feed 20,000 poor students with sanctified and nutritious food.

Research has shown that hungry children cannot learn child with an empty stomach is lethargic, irritable and unable to participate fully in learning experiences. Good nutrition is critical to student's achievement. Well-nourished students will generally have better attendance, be more attentive, and have more energy to cope with the challenges of learning. IFRF Services nutritious mid day meals to 40 Municipal Schools of urban and rural numbering 20,000.

ISKCON's Mid-Day Meal food relief program is a strategic program to eradicate hunger and it is very successful around India bringing smiles back into lives of countless young children.

Help, Kindly support the ISKCON Food Relief Program. Don't miss this opportunity once in a million life time chance. Scriptures.

IN THE SCRIPTURES LIKE BHAGAVAD GITA AND SHRIMAD BHAGVATAM, THE IMPORTANCE HAS BEEN EXPLAINED IN THE SLOKAS STATED BELOW:

YAT KAROSI YAD ASNASI YAJ JUHOSI DADASI YAT

YAT TAPASYASI KAUNTEYA TAT KURUSVA MAD -ARPANAM

Meaning: whatever you do , what every you eat, whatever you offer or give away ,and whatever austerities you perform - do that o son of kunti as an offering to me .

(BHAGAVAD GEETHA CHAPTER 9 TEXT NO.27)

DHARMAAYA YASASE ARTHAYA KAMAYA SVA- JANAYA CA PANCHADHA VIBHAJAN VITTAM IHAMUTRA CA MODATE.

Therefore one who is full Knowledge should divide his accumulated wealth in five parts- for religion, for reputation, for opulence, for sense gratification and for the maintenance of his family members'. such a person is happy in this world and in the next.

(SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM 8TH CANTO 19TH CHAPTER 37TH TEXT.)

Feeding a hungry child is not charity but our social responsibility.

A hungry child is always worried about how to find food and suffers the pains of hunger. In that situation he cannot think about education, what to say about spiritual knowledge or self realization. Human life is meant for self realization.