A District Jail In Kerala Feeds The Hungry With Free Food Prepared By Prison Inmates

Kozhikode district in Kerala has once again showcased its natural flair for helping others, this time through a noble initiative called ‘share meal’ project.

‘Share Meal’, an initiative launched on October 23, was the brainchild of K Anil Kumar, Superintendent, Kozhikode district jail. The food is prepared by the inmates of the jail.
When someone buys food packets, they can also sponsor an additional one. “Anyone can sponsor a meal to a hungry person purchasing coupons worth Rs 25. But, the details of the donor remains anonymous and both the receiver and donor do not know each other,” Anil Kumar told to The Logical Indian. He said that sometimes they used to get bulk orders from people.

‘Share meal’ was initiated in Ernakulam district when Anil Kumar was the then superintendent of the district jail in Ernakulam. “Till now, we have fed 24,000 people,” Anil Kumar added. The meal packet consists of 5 chapatis and veg or non-veg curry. The very aim of this project is to make the city hunger-free.

Food for freedom

Coupons are available at the ‘Food for Freedom’ counter outside the jail. On the inaugural day, they sold coupons worth Rs 25,000. Besides providing food items, the counter acts as a selling point of phenol, paper carry bags, detergent powders, car wash, and flower plots – all prepared by the inmates of the jail.

When there is an excess of food, the authorities take it to institutions such as orphanages, old-age homes, and hospitals, and make sure that their activities do not go wasted.

Operation Sulaimani

Earlier in April 2015, the district administration had introduced operation sulaimani, an initiative to feed the hungry through restaurants and hotels. The initiative was launched by Prashanth Nair, the then district collector of Kozhikode. 125 city restaurants became part of this initiative. Boxes are placed across the city and people can donate money as they wish. The organisers use this money to feed the hungry. The ‘share meal’ concept was introduced in the city after the success of operation sulaimani.