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Program 05
Three meals a day and clothes that fit
Food on the plate is the first thing a child needs. Our program serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to children, and gives them clothes that keep them warm and clean.
What children eat
Idli, fruit, rice, curry and eggs
Our meal photos show trays of bananas, boiled eggs, carrots, cucumber slices, bread and fruit, and big pans of rice and curry. Children sit in long rows on the floor of a blue-painted hall and eat from steel plates.
The annual report says that food on our plate is a blessing and that every meal is a chance to feel connected to the earth. It also reminds the reader that over a billion people in the world live in poverty, and that hunger is worst for children.
The trust sets out to give food to needy people and children every year, in homes, in hospitals and where families live.
Three meals, three plans
Breakfast has to be quick and filling. Our photos show bread with fruit and eggs, and bananas for each child. Lunch is rice with curry and a vegetable. Dinner is lighter, with rice or a tiffin.
We try to include something fresh every day: a banana, a boiled egg or a slice of cucumber. These are cheap and make a real difference to a child who has had little fruit.
Clothes that last
The report lists clothes together with food, because a child who has no warm clothes in winter or no dry clothes in the rains falls sick. We give new clothes where donors provide them and clean used clothes in good repair.
Our volunteers measure the child and choose a size with room to grow. A shirt that fits only for a month wastes a donor’s money.
Meals at special events
On festival days and on our get-together days the meal is bigger. Photos from a hotel hall show children seated at round tables while volunteers serve rice, curry and sweets from warming dishes.
These events are for children who rarely go to a restaurant. They learn how to sit at a table, ask for a second helping and say thank you.
How we keep food safe
Food is cooked fresh, covered while it is carried, and served the same day. Volunteers wash their hands and use clean plates. Leftover food is not kept for the next day.
If a child is allergic to a food, the home tells us and we leave it out. If a child has a fever, we ask the home to call a doctor.
What a growing child needs on the plate
A child needs energy from rice or wheat, protein from pulses, eggs or milk, vitamins from vegetables and fruit, and a little fat from oil. A plate that has all five is a balanced plate. We work towards that in every meal we serve, within the money that donors give.
Eggs, bananas and boiled vegetables are cheap and reliable. They are easy to serve to a large group and children eat them willingly.
A week of meals at a home
A good week of meals could look like idli and chutney on Monday, rice and sambar on Tuesday, khichdi on Wednesday, rice with a vegetable curry and an egg on Thursday, and a special meal on Sunday. The real menu depends on the caretaker’s plan and with what donors give.
We never insist on a menu. We ask the caretaker what the children like and what they have been missing, and we bring that.
Buying clothes with care
We buy clothes in batches, with a few sizes for each child. Light cotton is best for summer. A sweater and a blanket are needed in winter. A raincoat or an umbrella is helpful in the monsoon.
One of our photos shows umbrellas in bright colours piled up in front of the trust’s banner, ready to be given out.
When a child is not eating
A child who refuses food may be unwell, frightened or missing home. Volunteers tell the caretaker, who may call a doctor. We do not force a child to eat. We sit nearby and eat with the other children, and often the child joins.
If a child is very thin, the doctor may suggest extra food or vitamins. We help to pay for these.
Planning a meal for fifty children
A rough guide for rice-based meals is about eighty to one hundred grams of raw rice per child, thirty grams of dal or a similar amount of vegetables and a spoon of oil. Growing boys and older children eat more. A volunteer who cooks often learns to adjust by watching how much is left on the plates.
A helpful rule is to plan the menu with the caretaker, buy the supplies a day ahead, start cooking early, and serve while the food is hot. Keep drinking water, plates and spoons ready. Wash hands before serving. Keep a few extra portions for latecomers and for children who want a second helping.
After the meal, clean the hall, return unused food to the kitchen and count the plates. Take a photograph that shows the meal and the children, and send it to the sponsor the same evening.
How it works
How a meal reaches a child
Buy, cook, serve, record.
1
Plan
We agree the menu with the home or the hall for the week.
2
Buy
Volunteers buy rice, vegetables, eggs, fruit and oil from the market.
3
Cook and serve
Food is cooked in large pans and served hot to each child.
4
Record
We note the day, the number of children and who sponsored the meal.
Questions
Meal questions
You can sponsor a single meal or a whole week.
Can I sponsor a meal?
Yes. Call us and tell us the day. A volunteer will buy the food, serve it and send you the photo.
Can I cook at home and send food?
Please talk to us first. We prefer to cook ourselves so that the food is safe and fresh.
What if my gift is small?
A small gift buys a real amount of rice. We pool small gifts so that one day of meals is covered.
Do you give dry rations too?
Yes. Our family support photos show sacks of rice, oil and groceries handed to families at home.
Which children do you feed?
Children in homes we support, children who live near our events, and street children at our outdoor food service.
Can I come and serve?
Yes. Fill in the volunteer form and tell us the day you are free.
Do you cook vegetarian meals?
Yes. We follow the home’s preference. Where eggs are served, we serve them as an extra.
Can I donate rice and oil?
Yes. Call us. Grain and oil are used in every kitchen we support.
How many children do you feed at once?
It depends on the event and the home. We say honestly how many were served on each day.
Can I bring a meal for my child's birthday?
Yes. Call us to choose a day. A volunteer will meet you at the home.
Do you take food donations in kind?
We take dry rations such as rice, dal, oil and spices, and fresh fruit that can be served the same day. Cooked food from outside is not taken, because we cannot check how it was prepared.
Do you give clothes to adults?
Yes. Our blanket and clothes drives are for everyone who needs them, including elders, women and men who live outdoors.
Sponsor a meal for a child
One meal is a plate of rice, a curry and a banana. It is the cheapest and most direct gift you can give.
Write to us
Ask about food and clothes for children
Tell us what you would like to know or do about food and clothes for children. A volunteer will call you back.
- +91 97036 30893 (call and PhonePe)
- +91 82972 92602 (second number)
- hnpcharitabletrust@gmail.com
- NPS Nilayam, Road No. 2, Gajuwaka S.O., Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 530026
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