Vishalakshi Foundation in Lucknow– named after his deceased friend. He started by collaborating with a local NGO to distribute food to people. After posting about his initiative on social media, he started getting enquiries.
“People usually feed the hungry only during festivals or special occasions, and that too a particular section of people. However, about 7,000 people are dying daily out of hunger in India, and about 20 crore people sleep on an empty stomach every day. This data shocked me,” says Nilay.
Having a stable job on one side, Nilay says that it was difficult to make the people around him believe in his mission.
“At first, people laughed at me. They didn’t believe I was serious or had any long-term plans. But I knew I was going to go on until my actions made a difference,” he says.
The first campaign involved feeding around 100 people in Lucknow. But to Nilay’s surprise, he received enough funds via social media to feed 1,000 people.
Looking at Nilay’s similar initiatives, netizens gradually came forward to join him.
He says that in the last two years, his foundation has been able to feed over six lakh people – about 500 people daily – in 11 cities (Delhi, Lucknow, Gurugram, Noida, Ranchi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Amroha, Fatehpur, Banda, and Prayagraj) with the help of 3,000+ young volunteers across the cities.
But unlike many other feeding organisations, Nilay is a stern believer in not giving leftover foods. “For us, quality is the utmost priority and believe in serving what we can eat as we are not sure if the leftover food is hygienic,” he asserts.
