A social activist from Noida, Anoop Khanna started an initiative ‘Dadi Ki Rasoi’ to provide healthy, desi ghee dipped meals to the needy at only ₹5. In an effort to serve the poor and needy, Anoop Khanna in Noida has started an initiative called Dadi Ki Rasoi that serves healthy and fresh meals at only ₹5. The initiative started off in 2015 when Anoop’s mother decided to feed the needy. They feed around 500-1000 people a day. Initially, it was a roadside shop, but now the rasoi will serve food in a small space that has AC and television too.
Grandmother’s Magic In Food!
Dadi Ki Rasoi literally translates to Grandmother’s Kitchen and the food is as homely as a grandmom’s love. Anoop’s family started this venture in 2015, and they have received so much support and appreciation from the community that they never stopped. The hungry mouths they need and the help they provide to the families definitely shows that humanity still exists.
When it comes to food, it is prepared the same day and the menu changes everyday. It contains of chapatis, rice, sabji, dal, chickpeas, white pea and pickles. On Sundays, they usually serve khichdi.
But How To Do They Manage?
Since they were feeding only a few people, they used to buy their produce and raw materials from the local stores, but as the demand started increasing they had to look for a more affordable alternate. Now, they head to a wholesale market nearby for all the raw materials and they have also hired a vegetable vendor that gives them vegetables at half the rate since they feed his family as well.
The initiative was to help out the poor and needy, and not make them feel like beggars. Meals at ₹5 are affordable by all since it’s not a big amount. They offer food only to those in grave need, but also keep a high quality of their food. They have CCTV cameras installed in the kitchens so the quality gets monitored at all times.
What Else?
Anoop’s family also gives clothes to the needy for only ₹10. Their neighbors and friends donate their old clothes that Anoop’s family cleans, irons and repackages and then sells it to the needy for ₹10.