There's nothing left over in her restro

After closing down her restaurant for the day, S Velasi Prabha gets down to yet another important task of neatly packing the leftover and excess food and setting them aside in a refrigerator dedicated for feeding the poor.

Though it is less than a month-old initiative, the idea of keeping the food fresh for the needy did draw substantial attention in a short span of time.

Just abutting the eatery is where the six-shelved fridge stands tall grabbing attention. "When my managing partner D Robert Rejoice Kumar and I thought of satiating the hunger pangs of the poor, we decided to do it with quality.

The concept of providing excess food, items untouched by the customers after dining and the day's leftover food to those who are in need of it is what we have come up with a while later.

Soon, it started circulating in the social media groups and many started extending their support to us," explains Prabha.

The new concept of 'cut waste, save food - feed the needy' stuck beside the refrigerator turned out to be the frequented point for some of the residents in Seethammadhara, a neighbourhood in Visakhapatnam where Kaloreez has launched its second branch.

"Gradually, delivery boys from one of the food delivery aggregators, too, started placing the cancelled orders of food here. In addition, those hosting parties also began stocking the shelves with excess food.

That's when we contacted the Robin Hood Army, a group of volunteers working to distribute surplus food from the restaurants to the less-fortunate ones, in order to reach out to a greater number of people through them," says Prabha.

From fruits to milkshakes, starters to pancakes, biryanis to curries and fried rice, assorted items of food are now being savoured by the daily wage earners and the destitute who pass by the neighbourhood.

"The idea is to provide safe and healthy food to the poor and with colossal amounts of food being wasted mercilessly, setting aside a portion for the destitute is all what we do," adds the restaurateur.

Prabha notices that the concept of serving excess food to underprivileged sections is catching up among others as well.

"It really feels good to receive such an overwhelming response for our small step. With an investment of Rs.40,000, I am glad that we are able to cater to the needs of the less-fortunate ones on a daily basis.

Inspired by our initiative, some of the gated communities, too, are following suit," she concludes.

Every night, the staff at Kaloreez visit the neighbouring places, too, to serve the needy, clearing the racks of the refrigerator.

The menu here includes several healthy options such as sprouts with honey, quinoa porridge, ragi malt, baked poha, glutten-free pancakes and wheat crepes, among a plenty.