Attila Szanyi-Karl, whose spiritual name is Bhakta Vatsala Dasa, joined the foundation in 2014 and became the program director a year later. Much of his work involves organizing and handling the behind-the-scenes logistics of food distributions, but what he enjoys most is serving lunch to the guests himself. We spoke with the director of the Food for Life Foundation about her daily routine, the challenges she faces, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and her plans for the future.
The Krishna devotees’ food distribution efforts have become a common sight in our country, but what goes on behind the scenes? What’s a typical day like for you?
Every day from Monday through Saturday, we start early in the morning, when most people are still asleep. Since I’ve been a devotee of Krishna for 20 years, getting up early comes naturally to me. We start cooking at dawn and prepare to portion out the meals. Half the team heads out to pick up donations from the Food Bank—that is, vegetables, fruits, and baked goods in good condition that have been salvaged from food waste—and then we sort through them. For us, the quality of the food is essential. We prepare the cars for the run. Each has its own route, so we transfer the food into food containers and distribute the supplementary products we received as donations. The cars return in the afternoon, followed by several hours of cleaning. Cleanliness is the cornerstone of our work. We end the day with a group lunch, where we discuss the day’s events and prepare for the next day’s cooking.
What are the biggest challenges in your job?
Ever since I’ve been in charge of food distribution, I can say that no two days are the same. I always have plans, but I have to be flexible and adjust them as needed. If there are fewer volunteers on a given day, I pitch in with the distribution myself. If there aren’t enough cooks, I cook. If necessary, I go out to get supplies. Being a leader here means that, in addition to coordinating, you help your team wherever they need you.
Every day brings new challenges. For example, one of the food distribution services in Budapest recently closed, so twice as many people as usual unexpectedly showed up at our public distribution site in Népliget. In Budapest and three other counties, we prepare an average of 2,000 meals per day. However, the number of people we serve often depends on whether pensions or welfare payments have been received. When that happens, fewer people come for a few days, but at the end of the month, the number of people seeking assistance rises again.
The lack of volunteers during working hours and summer vacations is also a challenge. We need volunteers not just at Christmas—we could use 5 to 8 helpers on weekdays as well! But moving and storing donations and goods that arrive before special food distributions in the courtyard and the warehouse has long been a challenge. Hopefully, this will soon be resolved thanks to a new property.
If someone wants to help with food distribution, how can they really make a difference?
We gladly accept large product donations from companies. However, financial donations are currently the most helpful. We can use them exactly where they’re needed most. In addition, 1% tax donations also make a big difference!
As I mentioned, it’s a big help when someone can assist with behind-the-scenes work at our Budapest office. We’ve even hosted corporate team-building workshops here, but many students fulfill their mandatory volunteer hours with us. For example, when a farmer calls to say they’d like to donate their entire zucchini harvest to us, it’s a unique opportunity, but processing it would require an entire team.
However, we don’t really know what to do with used toys and clothes—unfortunately, we often receive them. Our principle is: „Only give to others what you would expect for yourself!” And a good portion of the clothes are in such poor condition that we’re reluctant to distribute them. Of course, there are times when we receive high-quality donations, which truly brings us joy. Basically, we’re set up to distribute food, not clothes or toys.
How does food distribution help families in need?
Thanks to the daily food distribution, our guests are able to save money for other expenses, such as rent, medication, and utilities. A hot lunch is also a great help to the elderly because it means they don’t have to shop for groceries or cook using their meager pensions. Together with the supplementary items, we are able to provide food for practically the entire day, which offers tangible assistance. Through cooperation with various social service providers, we can ensure that those in need receive comprehensive care. Many people come to the attention of aid organizations thanks to the food distribution program.
Lately, you've been reporting more and more on food distributions in rural areas. Why has the focus shifted to rural areas?
Some parts of the countryside are in a very difficult situation, with extremely high unemployment. Job opportunities are available almost exclusively in larger cities, and getting there is time-consuming and eats into one’s paycheck. There are also fewer aid organizations, and the assistance they provide is so meager that it generally does not cover monthly expenses. It’s a stalemate.
Our rural program, „Like a Bite of Bread,” provides assistance in dozens of communities, But this is a „bottomless well,” because there are thousands of communities waiting for us, where we’d like to deliver not only a bowl of goulash but also high-quality food donations. We visit most small communities on a monthly basis. Many enthusiastic, dedicated volunteers and kind donors participate in the rural program. I believe that charitable work is the kind of work that simply cannot be done any other way—only with heart and soul.
What are your plans for the near future?
We’re about to take a big step: we’re planning to move to a new location where we’ll be able to set up a larger kitchen and storage area so we can help even more people. Starting in 2022, we’d like to operate and manage our food distributions from the new building. Currently, the Krishna Temple is our home, but we’ve outgrown this space…
The most important thing is that we are always able to continue distributing food under all circumstances and serve the community with high-quality, vegetarian meals offered to God. This is what our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, asked of us. He specifically emphasized that the greater the crisis in the world, the greater the need for food distribution. Because it provides people with basic security and a minimum standard of living. That is our mission.
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Please support the work of the Food for Life Foundation! With your help, we can help even more people!
- Food distribution 300 days a year
- 650,000 servings of hot meals per year
- Hundreds of metric tons of food ingredients each year
- 500 volunteers per year
- Christmas Charity Banquet for 10,000 People
- 10 permanent food distribution sites nationwide
- Meal service for 12 shelters for the homeless
- Support for 49 small rural communities