I-Day Special: Robin Hood Army Serves 5 Million Meals in Villages

This Independence Day, 40,000 volunteers of Robin Hood Army are feeding 5 million people in villages across India.

(Photo courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

To mark 72 years of India’s independence, around 40,000 volunteers of the Robin Hood Army (RHA) are feeding more than 5 million people in villages across the country!

The ambitious initiative, titled #Mission5, began on 11 August and will culminate on Independence Day. Members of RHA chapters in 110 cities have spread out beyond their urban spheres, in order to go and serve rations to underdeveloped rural pockets, orphanages, old age homes, homeless people, and ailing patients.

Here’s a look at how the Robins are celebrating their Independence Day.

Robins from Pune form a human chain to pass the #Mission5 supplies along.(Photo Courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

The Robin Hood Army is a group that seeks to serves the underfed by collecting surplus food from restaurants and local communities. Through #Mission5, they hope to break out of the cities and build distribution channels in villages.

An elderly woman in UP’s Baniyan Purwa village, with a packet of rations distributed by Robins from Kanpur.(Photo Courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

“Out of the 194 million hungry Indians, more than 75% of the chronically underfed live in our rural pockets. The biggest act of freedom is serving one’s countrymen – with private citizens, youth, and civil society coming together with the best interests of our local communities, the hope is to work towards building a nation where every person’s basic right of three square meals a day becomes a reality. ”

Robin Hood Army

A line for rations at a Robin Hood Army #Mission5 distribution drive.(Photo Courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

In the past five years, the RHA has served food to 16.2 million people across 140 cities!

In Public Service

Robins in flood-hit areas didn’t give up on #Mission5 due to the adverse weather conditions. Instead, they helped disaster management authorities like the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in providing relief to affected citizens.

Robins assist NDRF personnel in Sangli, Maharashtra.(Photo Courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

Heroes of All Ages

At 60 years of age, Manohar is one of the most senior members of the Robin Hood Army. In the picture below, Manohar is seen being blessed by an elderly woman during a #Mission5 distribution drive in an Irula tribal settlement in Tamil Nadu’s Reddy Palayam village.

And in the picture on the right, is one of the youngest Robins distributing rations in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Talk about age not being a bar if you have the will to serve!

Age no bar to be a volunteer of the Robin Hood Army.(Photo Courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

Blessings Galore

Robins being showered with blessings at #Mission5 drives.(Photo Courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

40,000 Robins & Zero Funds!

To feed 5 million Indians in 500 villages over a period of 5 days sounds like a really daunting task. So, how would you react if you find out that the total funds that the Robin Hood Army has is a grand total of zero rupees?

Yup, that’s because the RHA scales its efforts only through social media and partnerships, and has a strict “no funds approach”.

Robins hard at work.(Photo Courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

But with 40,000 committed Robins in 110 cities across India driven by a mission to combat hunger, no goal seems out of reach.

The many teams behind #Mission5.(GIF: The Quint)

So to all the Robins this Independence Day...

(Photo Courtesy: Robin Hood Army)

PS: Did you know that at the 1 crore weddings every year in India, around 15% of the total food gets wasted? This alone could be used to serve meals to 9 lakh Indians every single day! The Robin Hood Army wants you to think about it, and join them in their fight against hunger. Will you?