Strand: Service

I consider that food is equivalent to god. It is the source of energy that keeps every human being running. I always feel privileged that I have access to basic necessities such as food, water, education, etc. I received these facilities without making any effort. It shocks me that so many people with similar access, take these things for granted and are not aware of the struggles that many people have to face just so that they can go to sleep with a full stomach. For a month, on every weekend, I approached houses in the apartment building that I live in and asked if they would like to provide leftovers, or any food that they feel wouldn’t be of use for them, and would eventually go waste. Later I distributed the collected food to workers and helpers near my house. On average I got 15-20 kgs of food from nearly 30 households, which I feel is a very big number. I think that every one of us should learn to value small things in life and feel grateful for the things we get effortlessly.

L4 – Commitment to and perseverance:

I took out 1-2 hours on weekends, to do something which may not directly affect me. I did this during my free time, and usually, I wouldn’t take out time on things that weren’t directly beneficial to me. But after looking at the situation, I felt this is something that needs to be worked upon. Every time before I started to collect food, I felt this is an insignificant thing, which no one would value after some days are passed, but I told myself that no action is too small, and no problem is too big. Problems get solved only when small steps like these are taken. I feel happy about myself that I did this activity for a month, and wish to do it more often.

L6 and L7 – Engagement with issues of global significance, Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

822 million people around the world do not have access to food (https://www.worldhungerindex.org). I took small actions to reduce this number. Even if it reduces only by a very negligible amount, it is still progress. I feel very sad for the people that have to work all day, just so that they can bring food to their dinner table. By providing just one meal to one needy person, I feel I am doing something of great significance. The food which would have gone wasted is now useful to someone. An immense amount of resources, in form of energy and water, is used to grow food. When food gets wasted, those resources get wasted with it.