On 22 April, from 11am, the Food for Life, a charitable foundation of Krishna devotees' humanitarian programme, will hold a special spring food and bundle collection at Almássy Square. The Earth Day event will also remind people to eat meat-free as an environmentally friendly habit.
Almost everyone is familiar with the Krishna devotees' Christmas food distribution, but fewer people know that the organisation also distributes more than half a million hot lunch bowls distributed throughout the country. Except for Sundays, meals are served every day of the week, all year round, and the number of portions increases every year.
| 5 fixed locations in the capital H-P
5 permanent rural hubs H-P, in Debrecen on Sunday Delivery 6 days a week to 16 locations of the Budapest Methodist Social Centre and its Institutions (family transition homes, homeless care institutions) 5 other shelters and children's homes More than 3000 meals a day nationwide More than half a million plates of charity for Hungarians every year |
Throughout the year, they also organise special promotions to support families by providing a rich, long-lasting food parcel to cook together at home, as a family, in addition to the usual daily hot lunch.
Almássy Square is not a traditional location, but it is in the heart of the city, easily accessible. The organisers therefore hope that this will allow both the elderly and those with many children to come and pick up the parcels they need. All 600 food parcels and just over 600 lunch portions will be waiting for you. Meals for Life is asking for the help of the media and the general public to publicise the location and the programme, so that as many people in need as possible can find out about the opportunity. The spring food distribution is a decades-old tradition, with many families in need of financial support due to the long weekend and the holidays. It's no secret that the most appealing thing, apart from a hot lunch and fresh baked goods, is always the food parcel, which, thanks to its nearly 15 different ingredients, offers families and elderly people a tangible support and a chance to save thousands of forints.
Special day
Krishna devotees' spring food distribution falls on a doubly special day this year. 22 April is Earth Day. In addition to their food distribution activities, the Krishna devotees are also well known for their sustainability and environmental activities, as they practice sustainable farming on nearly 300 hectares in the Krishna Valley in Somogyvamos. One of the most important scientific findings of recent decades in terms of climate protection has been that meat consumption is the most polluting human habit. The meat industry is responsible for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions, and the demand for land and drinking water is also extremely high. For this reason, Krishna devotees serve meat-free, vegetarian meals to the needy population for ethical, moral and environmental reasons., which is good for health and also good for the planet.
Did you know? On average, 15,000 litres of water are needed to produce one kilogram of beef, slightly less for non-red meat. The production process releases greenhouse gases with a warming potential equivalent to 36.4 kg of carbon dioxide. In 34 years of work, Food for Life has saved nearly 13.5 billion litres of water and more than 37 million kg of greenhouse gases. For the members of Meals for Life, it does not matter what kind of food they serve their guests: in addition to meat-free food, they also consider it important to prepare healthy, nutritious and quality food!
Meals for Life, which was established in India in the 1970s, operates in more than 60 countries worldwide and has served 8 billion bowls of food. In our country, 9 million bowls of food have been distributed in 34 years. And thanks to food rescue, another 4,000 tons of non-perishable food has been recycled and distributed to families instead of ending up in the garbage!
In India, April 22 is the lucky day of the year, known as Aksaya Tritiya, and its symbol is a horn of plenty, a copper vessel that never runs out of food. Tradition says that on a day like this, to treat one's fellow human beings with love is a most excellent act of kindness that brings special blessings to both giver and receiver.
You can also help the Krishna devotees' food distribution work with donations and the 1% pledges currently due.