Youth represents the prospect of a bright future. The story of Robin Hood Army will revitalise this endeavour. On the night of August, 2015, a group of six young Indians had one simple goal. To Feed The Homeless. They drove to various restaurants, collected unsold food, repackaged it, and distributed it to nearly 100 homeless people sleeping on the streets of the capital. This marked the start of something significant and revolutionary.
That night, everything changed for the 27-year-old Neel Ghosh and his friends. Soon after, more colleagues began to volunteer, and a nationwide volunteer army known as the Robin Hood Army was formed. Aiming to reduce food waste and ameliorate hunger.
The Commencement Of Robin Hood Army
Neel Ghoshe, Aarushi Batra, and Anand Sinha were responsible for setting up the noble cause of the Robin Hood Army. The founders were inspired by a Portuguese organisation that began with the same hyperlocal model of collecting excess food and distributing it to the needy.
Later, Ghose realised that this could be done in India, where there are more people in need. As a result of social media, every block of their wishful intentions fell into the right place. The group initially collaborated with restaurants in the Delhi-NCR region, but it now operates in over 13 countries.
The volunteers who are dressed in green colour act as a heroic bridge to reduce the gap between the two extremes.
The Robin Hood Army is distinct from other similar organisations in that it does not accept payment for its services and adheres to the ‘zero funds’ rule. RHA also operates academies in various cities where they teach street children on weekends and assist them in obtaining the right to an education.
The Robin Hood Army – Hunger Warriors
The Robin Hood Army’s operating model is based on decentralisation, with small teams of mostly young professionals scouting for a local restaurant and convincing the diners to donate surplus food and carry out regular distributions.
Wedding seasons typically occur in May/June and between November and January. RHA ensured that large amounts of uneaten food were picked up, no matter how late at night, and redistributed to the underprivileged section.
The fictional Robin Hood of English folklore was an ace swordsman and archer dressed in Lincoln green who, with an all-male party, would stop horse-drawn carriages cutting through dense forests, usually carrying royalty, abbots, or wealthy mercenaries, and rob them for the sole purpose of dividing the booty among the poor. While RHA uses the green colour and archery pose for its T-shirts and take cues from the rich ideology to combat India’s escalating hunger crisis.
Initiatives like RHA come as a blessing in disguise in a country like India, where the overall hunger status is serious and the nation that is home to an incredible amount of undernourished lineage.
More Than Just Excavating ‘Food Crisis’
An ambition that started with eradicating hunger but the volunteers soon realise that it’s just not about providing meals to someone, but actually being a part of their life, listening to their hardships, and working on the solvent. It is much more than just bestowing food…
- Assam Flood – The Grim situation that the nation witnessed in the name of the Assam flood was accompanied by genuine efforts from the Robin Hood Army that launched a relief camp for the victims of the flooding. According to the data, the floods affected over 25 lakh citizens, and 120 people died as a result of the disaster. The RHA team, led by dedicated volunteers, did important work by consistently serving cooked meals to 20,000 affected families. It distributed grain baskets to 3,000 families. RHA has also distributed approximately 5,000 litres of water to flood victims
- Covid – 19 – The pandemic was a devastating experience for humankind. Every day, there was news of people dying due to a shortage of oxygen and mismanagement in the entire nation. But Robin hood army did their bit by not just providing food and grains to the needy but also aimed to vaccinate 1.5 lakh underprivileged sections as a collaboration with WhatsApp and Uber.
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If you loved reading this story about Robin hood army, you can also read about This Cafe In Gujarat Will Provide Customers With Free Food In Exchange For Plastic Waste!
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