Mumbai still battles hunger everyday

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7,727,110
Meals served

Khaana Chahiye was established to provide food assistance to the most vulnerable sections of Mumbai's population during the Covid-19 crisis.

73290
Family Grocery kits

We provided groceries and essential items to migrant labourers and other vulnerable groups who had access to cooking facilities at home.

600,000
Migrant workers served

We provided cooked food, water, snacks, masks, and sanitizers at three major Mumbai train stations, serving 284 Shramik Express Trains

304
Citizen volunteers

Our efforts are bolstered by the dedication, compassion, and time contributed by volunteers in the field, as well as remotely by many more around the world.

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Community Kitchens

As part of our commitment to sustainable livelihoods, we've been backing Community Kitchens led by an all-women self-help group and a transgender collective.

20 Million
#KhaanaChahiye

The #KhaanaChahiye hashtag has organically connected 20 million people across various social media platforms to our mission of addressing hunger in Mumbai.

Khaana Chahiye Foundation® is a registered non-profit organization that emerged from and actively supports a ground-up movement to combat hunger in Mumbai, India.

Lack of nutritious food weakens the human immune system, making vulnerable populations susceptible to illness. Hence, we strongly believe that access to nutritious food is the highest form of preventive medicine.

We employ both technology and on-ground volunteers to collect real-time data on emerging food shortages. This approach enables us to maintain an up-to-date, accurate 'hunger map' of Mumbai, facilitating precise assistance to marginalized communities.

Current Operations

Community Kitchens

We run two community kitchens in Kurla and in Ulhasnagar, that are driven by women self-help groups and transgender and former victims of human trafficking and commercial sex work respectively. The kitchens share a total of 550 meals per day.

SOS Grocery Service

Through our multilingual Report Hunger WhatsApp bot anyone in Mumbai can register or report families or individuals in need. We have partnered with TISS and CSSC, organizations that work with vulnerable communities in Govandi and Mumbai's western suburbs, to identify those in extreme need and provide them with emergency grocery support.

We've won numerous awards

Khaana Chahiye's Hunger Free SOS Chatbot won the "Inclusion and Empowerment" category for the best digital solution supporting the UN SG's goals.

Youth Innovation Challenge 2021
Youth Innovation Challenge 2021
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Placed 2nd in the 2021 Youth Innovation Challenge, co-hosted by various organisations including the Government of Maharashtra, UN Habitat, UNICEF, and others.

Social Media for Empowerment Award 2020-21
Social Media for Empowerment Award 2020-21
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We received the 7th SME Award in the 'Community Mobilization' category from the Digital Empowerment Foundation for our impactful use of social media in promoting our mission.

eNGO Challenge 2020-21
eNGO Challenge 2020-21
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The Hunger Map Project clinched the eNGO challenge in Governance and Livelihood, backed by the Digital Empowerment Foundation and World Summit Awards.

Nutrition Awards - Urban
Nutrition Awards - Urban
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Awarded to initiatives that combatted hunger during the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Food Programme served as the event's knowledge partner.

HealthCare Heroes Award
HealthCare Heroes Award
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Awarded by the Jagran Media Group and Only My Health dedicated to corona warriors and these champions of change

Vogue Warrior 2020
Vogue Warrior 2020
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Our co-founder Neeti Goel gets awarded for her work in Mumbai

The Worlds 50 best
The Worlds 50 best
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Featured by '50 Best' in global initiatives taken to combat hunger in times of #COVID19

Featured in prestigious publications

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The Economist
The Economist
Volunteers are filling the gaps in India’s fight against covid-19

Many indians are up in arms about the government’s handling of their country’s all-engulfing second wave of covid-19. Hospitals, testing facilities, even crematoria are overwhelmed...

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British Broadcasting Corporation
British Broadcasting Corporation
India Covid-19 migrants: 'Lockdown will make us beg for food again'

BBC covers our beneficiaries and Team Khaana Chahiye's migrant relief efforts

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The Washington Post
The Washington Post
In India, as the virus abates, a hunger crisis persists

Even as the pandemic abated, a silent crisis has unfolded in homes across the country: I spent time with families in the slums of Mumbai where the battle against hunger is playing out.

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The Guardian
The Guardian
Hunger sweeps India in Covid’s shadow as millions miss out on ration.

Desperation grows for those unable to access subsidised food, as worst hunger in two decades reported.

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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Coronavirus: India charity making 70,000 meals a day for the poor

Khaana Chahiye is a citizens' initiative to ensure much of Mumbai's workforce does not go hungry during lockdown.

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Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Hunger Crisis Forces Even Middle-Class Indians to Line Up for Rations

Millions saw their economic toehold ripped away in lockdowns over the last 12 months. Now hunger stalks them. Swaraj Shetty, our co-founder speaks to Archana Chaudhary about our observations.

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Forbes India
Forbes India
Unsung heroes: NGOs, community, people

Khaana Chahiye, a citizen-led movement now registered as an NGO, served around 47 lakh meals and 20,000 ration kits to migrant workers and slum dwellers around Mumbai

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New Delhi Television (NDTV)
New Delhi Television (NDTV)
Youth NGOs' Innovative Ways To Keep Mumbai Fed During Lockdown

Young people are ensuring that those affected have a good meal everyday, and are coming up with innovative solutions to ensure no one in Maximum City sleeps hungry.

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The Print
The Print
India faces a hunger crisis as lines for free food and rations grow amid pandemic.

More than 15 million Indians lost their jobs in May during 2nd wave. The daily average wage for about 230 million dropped below Rs 375. All of this is leading to an increase in hunger.

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Times of India
Times of India
Mumbai: Inside Kurla slums, kitchens set up during lockdown

The Khana Chahiye Foundation, an organization working towards "Zero Hunger" in Mumbai, has been providing meals to 2,000 below-poverty-line families during the Covid-19 lockdown...

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Mid Day
Mid Day
How Liverpool Football Club’s Mumbai supporters got the world to donate to a Kurla community kitchen.

The official Liverpool Supporters Club in Mumbai reached out to fans across the world to raise funds for underprivileged people living in and around the Mumbai neighbourhood...

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Our Efforts Were Acknowledged

See all testimonials
Aaditya Thackrey
Aaditya Thackrey
Cabinet Minister, Maharashtra State Government

Thank you, Radio Mirchi, for partnering with MSRTC and Khaana Chahiye. Looking forward to more such work

Rishad Premji
Rishad Premji
Chairman, Wipro

Thank you. We are committed to doing what we can to help.

Arvind Kejriwal
Arvind Kejriwal
Chief Minister, Delhi

Feeding 45 lakh meals to the needy during the lockdown is very commendable

Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Founder, Paytm

Glad we could contribute and be part of your generous efforts

Sadhguru
Sadhguru
Spiritual Leader

It takes a certain sense of commitment & compassion to voluntarily step out to serve at this time. Congratulations Neeti Goel & teamkhaanachahiye Truly inspiring. –Sg

Marcelo Claure
Marcelo Claure
CEO, Softbank Group International

Incredible work by We Work India member Pathik Muni and Khaanachahiye.

US Consulate General
US Consulate General
Mumbai

International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alum Swaraj Shetty, CIO of Litmus Test Project is volunteering with the food distribution initiative Khaana Chahiye. They distribute over 72,000 meals per day  meals for the homeless and needy in Mumbai.

Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan
Actor

Congratulations on the wonderful work you all are doing.

Suniel Shetty
Suniel Shetty
Actor

Thanks Swaraj. Proud of the unbelievable work u are doing

Dia Mirza
Dia Mirza
Actress

If you are in Mumbai and want to make a difference, here is ONE way - Khaanachahiye. They serve meals to those in extreme need with a focus on daily wage labourers, migrant workers and the homeless. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make a difference.

Lisa Ray
Lisa Ray
Actress, Author

This amazing organisation has dished out over 2.5 million meals since lockdown began. If you are looking for a way to support the most vulnerable during this time, please take a look at their selfless work and reach out to know more.

Sunny Leone
Sunny Leone
Actor

The team @khaanachahiye is raising funds for the marginalized who'll are not only battling #COVID19 but also hunger, which is a pressing issue as well.

The Khaana Chahiye Chronicles

Unheard Voices

Unheard Voices digitally captures the stories of migrant women workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Reay Road, Mumbai.

See their stories
Food distribution drive by Khaana Chahiye volunteers

Ninjas in Action

A video gallery that chronicles the journeys of our citizen volunteers who are at the frontlines of our fight against hunger.

See the videos
Khaana chahiye volunteer wearing a mask, standing in a warehouse

Stories Behind the Mask

Tales from our on-ground partners and the people they serve, as captured by our very own KN Karthikeyan.

Read their stories
Artwork by a Khaana Chahiye volunteer

Art for Good

Several young artists created fine art, theatre, music, and poetry to highlight the hunger epidemic in Mumbai.

See the artwork

The Hunger Map Project

The Hunger and Poverty Mapping Study aims to gather research data on food demand, supply, demographics, and extreme need in Mumbai. This data allows us to tailor nuanced, site-specific, evidence-based interventions addressing poverty and hunger.

In 2020, a few good people came together to fight hunger

Khaana Chahiye Foundation, driven by Mumbai's residents, began as a COVID-19 relief effort. Now, with 200+ active volunteers and various partners, it's a platform fighting hunger in the city.

Read our story

Partners

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Donors

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Support Mumbai's fight against hunger

We are grateful for your past support, which enabled us to realise our ambitious goals. As we persist in our mission, your renewed sponsorships sustain the continuous operation of our community kitchens, ensuring that essential meals continue to reach those in need.

Ready to make a lasting difference?
Use the form to pledge your support or contact us at volunteer@khaanachahiye.com for queries or additional assistance.

PS - We deeply value your commitment to ending hunger and enhancing lives in Mumbai.

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Khaana Chahiye Foundation traces its origins to a citizen-led food-relief effort during Mumbai's Covid-19 lockdown, evolving into one of the city's largest crisis management initiatives. Today, it persists in its mission to combat hunger through various relief and advocacy efforts.

For inquiries, please contact us at:
contact@khaanachahiye.com

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© Khaana Chahiye 2023. All rights reserved. Website by one.studio