Robinhood Army: A model of courage and generosity

​Jodhpur: Robinhood Army considers hunger a major problem and they have taken upon themselves to fight this acute problem. Like every Independence Day, volunteers of the group have decided to distribute food to 1 million people. The group derives its name from a legendary English outlaw of the 12th century, who robbed the rich and and gave to the poor - a popular model of courage and generosity. 

A volunteer-based organisation, the group works to get surplus food from restaurants and the community to serve the less fortunate. It aims to distribute food to one  million people under its Mission Million 2018. Referring themselves as Robins, volunteers of the group provide meals to people in need on footpaths and at hospitals, railway stations and shelter homes. 

Robin Akshayraj, one of the founders of the Jodhpur chapter of the group, said Robinhood volunteers collect the surplus food from hotels and restaurants, and provide them to people who need them. "This Independence Day, our 16,000 plus Robins have partnered with organisations across the country to serve a million meals to the less fortunate," Akshayraj said. 

"With a view to make the drive more inclusive, we have this time decided to take the mission to our friends, family, community and city with a view to reach out to 10,000 hungry persons and get them to contribute to a hunger-free India," he said, adding, there could not be a better way to celebrate the Independence Day than to fill empty stomachs and bring smile. 

Another Robin, Samarth Jain, said their objective is to sensitise people - from the district collector to owners and managers of the corporate houses and other influential persons - and get them to identify hunger as a major issue. "As our Robin family has grown, while serving lakhs of meals and smiles over the years, we have realised that the problem of hunger in India is too large for any one team to solve. So we are reaching out to people and leaders of our country to come together and build a hunger-free India," Jain said. 

The aim of Robinhood Army this year is to reach out to 190 million hungry people in the country. "We want to use this as a platform to make the hunger issue something which concerns the entire country and mobilize leaders into action to build a hunger-free India," Robin Priyansha Singh said. "We are looking for a permanent solution and hence our team has targeted 38 people in India - 20 influencers from Bollywood, sports and entertainment fields and 18 changemakers from politics and corporate," she said, adding, people like them could sensitise, appeal and initiate to bring a solution.