A recent spam mail in his inbox has made Chef Vikas Khanna realize that a lot of people are in need during the pandemic. Living in the United States, Vikas Khanna has managed to distribute over 9 million meals across 125 cities in India.
Vikas Khanna is gearing up for his next food drive called ‘Bharkat’ which is set to be the largest food drive in the world. On Wednesday, Vikas Khanna will distribute over 2 million meals across the National Capital Region of New Delhi. Through the drive, Khanna is looking to help the vulnerable communities like the differently-abled, transgenders, and sex-workers. He said,
“I am humbled to work on an event tirelessly that supports people with disabilities, transgenders, sex-workers, AIDS patients, orphanages, old-age homes, and leprosy centers. We will also be reaching out to abandoned parents’ homes. I am unable to comprehend how people can abandon their parents.”
Biggest Food Drive In The World
Over 4,500 transgenders, sex-workers, and AIDS patients who are in need are identified by activists Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and Aryan Pasha as well as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Other vulnerable communities are reached through the help of institutions like The Earth Saviour, Arya Orphanage, and Amar Jyoti Charitable Home. Vikas Khanna further said,
“This entire operation has made me feel happier than the time I received the Michelin star. Compared to this satisfaction, the Michelin star is nothing. You owe it to the people to carry on and remember that you are not doing anyone any favor. Stand up for the nation, it’s your duty.”
Khanna had also collaborated with the National Disaster Relief Force and the Central Reserve Police Force in states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to distribute food packets on the Shramik Trains. Speaking about the initiative, he said,
“We will do this in a big football stadium in Ghaziabad cantonment. There will be rations for 200 meals in each one of those 10,000 bags. Now I know the ingredients by heart. 25-30 kilograms of rice, flour, sugar, salt, oil, lentils, soya chunks, garlic, soap, detergents, sanitary pads, and sanitizers. It will be blessed by Laxmi Narayan, a renowned transgender activist. The best thing is that we are buying directly from the farmers and paying them directly. It means a lot to me personally.”
Source: India Times
